China's ongoing holiday sees dip in rail trips on Day 4

BEIJING - The fourth day of the current National Day holiday will see a dip in railway passenger trips while railway operator keeps dispatching additional trains to smooth the way for millions of passengers.

Thursday is estimated to register some 12.8 million railway passenger trips, down from the 13.1 million trips seen on Wednesday, according to the China Railway Corporation.

Some 467 additional trains will be added to the schedule on Thursday, less than the 525 mobilized a day earlier, according to the state-run railway operator.

The holiday, which runs from Oct. 1 to 7, is expected to create a 10-day travel rush beginning Sept 28 with some 129 million railway trips made mostly for travel and family reunion, CRC said.

The figure marks a 9.5-percent year on year increase from the holiday last year and a gain of 11.2 million trips.

According to Ctrip, China's leading online provider of travel services, the number of people traveling by high-speed rail during the seven-day holiday is expected to more than double year-on-year.