In a recent interview, a representative from China Railway Shanghai Group shed light on travel trends during the National Day holiday from October 1 to 7. The representative noted a remarkable surge in passenger volume, driven by family visits, tourism, and student travel in the Yangtze River Delta.
According to their data, over 25.45 million passengers traveled by rail in the Yangtze River Delta during this holiday, averaging more than 3.63 million passengers daily—a 5.1% increase compared to last year. Notably, October 1 set a record with a single-day passenger count of 3.89 million.
The representative highlighted some of the most sought-after destinations, including direct routes to key cities such as Beijing, Qingdao, Guangzhou, Zhengzhou, Fuzhou, Xiamen, Changsha, Nanchang, and Xi’an. There was also robust demand for travel within the region, particularly between cities like Shanghai, Nanjing, Hangzhou, and Hefei, along with frequent connections to Suzhou, Yangzhou, Yancheng, Nantong, Ningbo, Jinhua, Huangshan, and Wuhu.
To effectively handle the influx of travelers, the railway department ramped up its capacity by adding 1,914 passenger trains, organizing 2,303 multiple-unit trains, and attaching an additional 1,376 coaches to regular trains.
Meanwhile, the Jiangsu Provincial Transportation Department reported significant traffic numbers, revealing that from October 1 to 7, approximately 29.34 million vehicles exited highways, averaging about 4.19 million vehicles per day. This represents a 3.89% increase from last year and a notable 24.72% rise compared to 2019. The average daily traffic flow on provincial roads was around 14,800 vehicles, marking a 7.1% increase from this year and an 18.4% increase from 2019. Furthermore, around 7.986 million passengers utilized road and water transport during the holiday, reflecting a 1.5% increase from last year.
In addition, the Eastern Airport Group reported impressive statistics, managing about 8,000 flights during the holiday and nearly 1.1 million passengers. The peak travel day was October 1, while October 6 saw the start of the return travel rush, with a daily passenger volume of approximately 165,000. At Nanjing Lukou International Airport, the average daily passenger traffic reached around 100,000 during this busy period.
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