China expects over 63 million passenger trips on National Day

BEIJING, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- Over 63 million passenger trips will be made by rail, road, water and air in China on Friday, the first day of the week-long National Day holiday, the Ministry of Transport has said.

Of the total, 46.5 million trips are expected to be made by road, up 27.2 percent from Thursday, the ministry said.

About 15 million railway trips are expected on Friday, according to the ministry.

China State Railway Group Co., Ltd., the country's railway operator, estimated approximately 15.8 million trips, noting that 1,346 additional passenger trains have been arranged to meet the surging demand.

Some 127 million rail passenger trips will be made during the holiday rush that lasts from Sept. 28 to Oct. 8, with Oct. 1 to see the highest passenger volume, the operator said earlier.

Airlines are also predicted to see 1.52 million passenger trips on Friday, according to the ministry. Some 680,000 trips are expected on waterways, up 38.2 percent from Thursday.