National

Regional

Taiwan, HK, Macao

Special Coverage

Focus

Society

Profiles

Railways expect first summer passenger peak this weekend

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-07-13 08:30

BEIJING - Railways are expected to see this summer's first peak ridership this weekend, the Ministry of Railways (MOR) said here on Saturday.

Related readings:  Major railway accidents in the past three decades  First express railway to begin month-long trial  China Railway 2007 profit up 92 percent  China's railway traffic hits new high on grave-sweeping day

"There is a big increase of travelers this year," an official with the MOR said. "The number of passengers has been high since the summer holiday began."

Trains have carried an average of 4.5 million passengers per day since the beginning of this month.

On July 5, the MOR said, 4.76 million people traveled by train, almost the same as last year's record of 4.76 million.

Beijing, Shanghai and Zhengzhou, where many students finished their school terms, saw more than 100,000 passengers per day, and the number was expected to rise in late July as more students went home.