China adds more trains for holiday travel rush

BEIJING - China's Ministry of Railways said Friday it has put more trains on to ease transportation pressure during the three-day Dragon Boat Festival holiday from June 22-24.

The ministry added 196 provisional passenger trains for the travel rush Thursday, one day ahead of the holiday, 70 more than the eve of last year's holiday, it said in a statement.

Passengers prepare to get on trains at a railway station in Suzhou, East China's Jiangsu province, June 22, 2012.  [Photo/Xinhua]

China's railways are expected to carry 6.75 million passengers on Friday, the travel peak of this holiday, up 4.7 percent from the holiday travel peak last year, the ministry has said.

It estimated a daily average passenger flow of 6.1 million from June 21 to 24, up 5 percent from that during last year's holiday travel rush.

The Dragon Boat Festival, also called Duanwu Festival, is traditionally celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth month on the Chinese lunar calendar.

The festival commemorates the famous ancient Chinese poet Qu Yuan. Chinese people prepare and eat zongzi, or leaf-packed glutinous rice dumplings, drink wine and race dragon boats on the day.

The festival falls on June 23 this year.