China Railway Records 250 Million Trips During Holiday Surge

China Railway recorded more than 250 million passenger trips during the combined Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holiday period from September 23 to October 7, 2026. The travel surge peaked on the final day of the holiday, October 7, with the state-owned operator expecting 24.15 million trips and scheduling 2,449 additional trains to manage the return rush. This followed two previous days of high volume, with 21.6 million trips on October 6.

Traffic was heaviest in major hubs including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Chengdu, with significant volume on routes connecting Wuhan, Shenzhen, and Xi'an. To accommodate the demand, railway authorities expanded overnight operations and added services. Travelers showed a growing preference for county-level destinations such as Lingshui and Mohe, as well as multi-city itineraries.

The holiday period stimulated broader domestic consumption, with the film industry earning over 1.1 billion yuan and theme parks like Legoland Shanghai reporting record daily attendance on October 5. Consumption patterns shifted toward experience-based spending, including the use of virtual reality tours and exoskeleton robots at Mount Tai. International travel also rose, with significant outbound flows to Southeast Asia, Europe, and North America, and an increase in inbound tourism.