BEIJING - China's railway systems will experience high passenger flows over the next few days as college students return to school after their month-long winter vocations, the country's railway authorities said Tuesday.

On Monday, 4.58 million people crammed into trains and the country put 704 more trains into service to cope with the increasing passenger flow, the Ministry of Railways said in a statement on its website, adding that 760 additional trains are scheduled to be put into operation on Tuesday.

Snow and rainfall are forecast to continue in the country's southern regions for the coming three days, putting more pressure on the country's rail system, according to the statement.

The ministry said it has asked all stations to take precautions and strengthen services amid the bad weather to ensure safe transportation.

Spring Festival, or Chinese Lunar New Year, which fell on January 23 this year, is the most important Chinese holiday for family reunions, making it a hectic time for China's public transportation system.

A total of 3.16 billion passenger trips are expected during the year's travel rush which will end on February 16, up 9.1 percent from a year earlier. Of those journeys, 235 million are likely to be made by train, up 6.1 percent year-on-year, the ministry said.