China expects 17.5m rail passenger trips on first day of Qingming Festival holiday

BEIJING - China's railways are expected to handle 17.5 million passenger trips on Thursday, the first day of the three-day Qingming Festival holiday.

China Railway, the country's railway operator, said that it plans to add some 1,073 passenger trains on Thursday.

Railway services in China's southeastern coastal areas, affected by the 7.3-magnitude earthquake that hit China's Taiwan, have resumed operations, according to the company.

China's railway, civil aviation and electricity sectors are optimizing services to ensure safe and orderly trips during the holiday.