China expecting 560 million summer rail trips

BEIJING - A total of 560 million rail trips will be made during the upcoming two-month summer travel peak, up 55.5 million from one year earlier, the China Railway Corporation forecast on Thursday.

The daily number of trips made on the country's railways is expected to reach 9.03 million, representing an increase of 11 percent year on year.

To meet growing travel demand, railway authorities will put more trains into service during the traditional travel rush, which lasts from July 1 to Aug 31.

China's rail network has been expanding at a staggering rate in recent years. It reached 121,000 km in total distance at the end of 2015, ranking second in the world.

China has more high-speed railway lines than anywhere else. Of the 121,000 km of track, nearly 20,000 km was high-speed.