New Year's railway passenger numbers peak at holiday's end

China's railways were expected to go through a test of sorts on Tuesday as the number of passengers was forecast to peak at the end of the three-day New Year's Day holiday.

Some 11.5 million trips were expected to be made on Tuesday when travelers returned to work and school as the celebration drew to a close. To cope with the increased demand, China Railway Corp added 318 temporary trains, it said.

The company said a total of about 20.6 million railway trips were made during Sunday and Monday, the first two days of the holiday, a year-on-year increase of 549,000 trips.