Railway passenger trips in China hit a record high of over 20.69 million on Wednesday, the first day of the five-day May Day holiday, data from the national railway operator shows.

Passengers walk past ticket gates at Tianjin West Railway Station in north China's Tianjin, May 1, 2024. (Xinhua/Li Ran)

The China State Railway Group Co., Ltd. (China Railway) said 17 million railway passenger trips are expected on Thursday, with 1,094 additional passenger trains planned.

The country's railway network is expected to handle 144 million passenger trips during the eight-day May Day holiday travel rush from April 29 to May 6, according to China Railway.

During the period, an average of over 12,000 passenger trains are planned daily, which is about 1,800 more than the usual number during non-rush periods, it said.

This year's May Day holiday runs from May 1 to May 5.