Railways expect more passengers as Spring Festival holiday nears

BEIJING, Jan. 26 -- The Chinese railway network is bracing for a significant increase in passengers in the next few days due to the upcoming Spring Festival holiday.

The China Railway Corporation recorded 9.94 million trips Friday, up 9 percent from the same day of last year, and predicted a 19-percent year-on-year jump Saturday to reach 10.61 million.

Railway operators nationwide have adopted multiple measures to cope with a surging number of passengers, including adding more trains and offering better transfer services.

According to the Chinese zodiac calendar, 2019 is the Year of the Pig, which starts on Feb. 5. And the public holiday associated with it lasts from Feb. 4 to 10.

Hundreds of millions of Chinese return to their hometowns for family reunions during the Spring Festival holiday.

The travel rush started from Monday and will last till March 1, during which railway trips are expected to hit 413 million in total, up 8.3 percent from a year ago.