Chinese railways gear up for travel rush during Qingming Festival

BEIJING, April 3 (Xinhua) -- China's railway system is gearing up for a surge in travel during the upcoming three-day Qingming Festival holiday that begins on Thursday.

China Railway, the country's railway operator, said in a statement that the travel rush, which started Wednesday, will last five days, with an expected 75 million railway trips to be made in total during this period, averaging 15 million trips daily.

The peak of the travel rush will be on Thursday, with 17.5 million trips expected, according to the railway operator.

Qingming Festival, or Tomb-Sweeping Day, is a traditional Chinese festival for people to pay tribute to the dead and worship their ancestors. The company added that 11,600 trains will be operational every day during the period to cope with the surge in passengers, as people also use this holiday for outdoor activities and sightseeing.