China's railways report record daily passenger volume

BEIJING - Nearly 11.73 million train trips were made on Wednesday, China's National Day and the first day of a week-long holiday, up 13.5 percent year on year and marking a record high, said the China Railway Corporation on Thursday.

Traffic in major cities rose significantly on Wednesday. Nearly 1.22 million passengers left Beijing by train, an increase of 14.1 percent from a year ago. Nearly 2.36 million left Shanghai, up 9.5 percent, and 1.48 million left Guangzhou, up 17.1 percent.

On Wednesday, the Chinese railway operator dispatched 5,312 trains, including 444 additional trains to accommodate the holiday rush, to guarantee all passengers reach their destinations.

On Thursday, 9.4 million train trips are expected, and the corporation plans to run 381 additional trains.

The China Railway Corporation forecast a record high of more than 90 million train trips during the 10-day travel rush starting on Sept 28.