BEIJING, May 4 -- China's railways saw an increase of passenger trips during the Labor Day holiday, data released on Sunday by the railway authorities showed.

From April 30 to May 3, 36.98 million railway trips were made, 16.5 percent higher than the same period last year, said the China Railway Corporation.

Bullet trains recorded rising traffic, with 13.42 million trips made during the period, up 36 percent year on year.

To cope with the rising traffic, 1,278 temporary trains were added to ease the pressure, the corporation said.