Passengers travel through a railway station in Huai’an, East China’s Jiangsu Province, on October 3, 2026, during the National Day holidays. Photo: VCG

　　China entered the third day of the National Day holidays on Saturday with travel demand remaining strong, as the country’s railways expected to handle 18.9 million passenger trips amid concentrated short-haul demand, pointing to sustained holiday mobility after cross-regional passenger trips topped 300 million on Friday.

　　The seven-day National Day holidays run from October 1 to 7 this year, typically one of the country’s busiest travel periods, with demand concentrated across railways, highways, airports and major tourist destinations.

　　On Friday, road passenger trips were expected to exceed 280 million, with expressway traffic remaining at a high level. Travel was increasingly characterized by multi-stop trips between scenic spots and short-distance movement within regions. Railway passenger trips were estimated at 20.4 million, according to CCTV News.

　　China’s railways are expected to handle 18.9 million passenger trips on Saturday. Railway authorities across the country are adding services to meet concentrated short-haul demand, with 910 additional passenger trains planned and more intercity services running on popular routes.

　　Travel demand remained particularly strong in the Yangtze River Delta. China Railway Shanghai Group said on Saturday that it expected to handle 3.72 million passenger trips during the day. On Thursday, the first day of the holidays, the region’s railways carried 4.427 million passengers, a record single-day volume for the holidays.