China's railways brace for highest peak of Spring Festival holiday return trips

Passengers leave Tianjin West Railway Station in north China's Tianjin on Feb. 23, 2026. (Xinhua/Zhao Zishuo)

BEIJING, Feb. 23 (Xinhua) -- China's national railway operator said on Monday that Feb. 23, the last day of a nine-day Spring Festival holiday, will most likely see the highest peak in passenger return journeys, forecasting that up to 18.5 million trips will be made via the railway system on this day.

China State Railway Group Co., Ltd. said that the expected trips on Monday will follow the nearly 18.3 million passenger journeys made on the previous day. An additional 2,297 trains will be operated on Monday to cater to the huge travel demand, it added.

Major cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen will witness both huge inflows and outflows of passengers on Monday, it said.

Railway departments at different localities have implemented measures aimed at ensuring smooth railway services.

The Spring Festival, also known as the Chinese New Year, fell on Feb. 17 this year, while the nine-day holiday break started on Feb. 15.

Passengers leave Shanghai Railway Station in Shanghai, east China, on Feb. 23, 2026. (Xinhua/Wang Xiang)

Passengers wait for trains at the waiting hall of Hangzhou East Railway Station in Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang Province, on Feb. 23, 2026. (Xinhua/Huang Zongzhi)

Passengers head to board trains at Chongqing North Railway Station in Chongqing, southwest China, on Feb. 23, 2026. (Xinhua/Tang Yi)

Passengers head to board trains at Tongren South Railway Station along the Shanghai-Kunming high-speed railway in Tongren City, southwest China's Guizhou Province, on Feb. 23, 2026. (Photo by Hu Panxue/Xinhua)

Passengers queue up to check in at Jiaxing South Railway Station in Jiaxing, east China's Zhejiang Province, on Feb. 23, 2026. (Photo by Jin Peng/Xinhua)

Passengers head to board a train at Kunming South Railway Station in Kunming, southwest China's Yunnan Province, on Feb. 23, 2026. (Photo by Liang Zhiqiang/Xinhua)

Passengers wait for trains at the waiting hall of Shijiazhuang Railway Station in Shijiazhuang, north China's Hebei Province, on Feb. 23, 2026. (Photo by Chen Qibao/Xinhua)

An aerial drone photo taken on Feb. 23, 2026 shows a train running in Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang Province. (Photo by Long Wei/Xinhua)

Passengers are pictured at the waiting hall of Chongqing North Railway Station in Chongqing, southwest China, on Feb. 23, 2026. (Xinhua/Tang Yi)

Passengers walk on the platform of Lanzhou Railway Station in Lanzhou, northwest China's Gansu Province, on Feb. 23, 2026. (Photo by Wang Guanghui/Xinhua)

Passengers are pictured at the waiting hall of Chongqing North Railway Station in Chongqing, southwest China, on Feb. 23, 2026. (Xinhua/Tang Yi)

A boy and his family are pictured at the waiting hall of Shijiazhuang Railway Station in Shijiazhuang, north China's Hebei Province, on Feb. 23, 2026. (Photo by Chen Qibao/Xinhua)

Passengers leave Harbin Railway Station in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, on Feb. 23, 2026. (Photo by Yuan Yong/Xinhua)

Passengers head to board trains at Wuhan Railway Station in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, on Feb. 23, 2026. (Photo by Zhao Jun/Xinhua)

This photo taken on Feb. 23, 2026 shows a view of the waiting hall of Tianjin West Railway Station in north China's Tianjin. (Xinhua/Zhao Zishuo)

Passengers queue up to check in at Taizhou Railway Station in Taizhou City, east China's Jiangsu Province, on Feb. 23, 2026. (Photo by Tang Dehong/Xinhua)

Passengers leave Shanghai Railway Station in Shanghai, east China, on Feb. 23, 2026. (Xinhua/Wang Xiang)

Passengers wait for ride-hailing cars at Beijing South Railway Station in Beijing, capital of China, on Feb. 23, 2026. (Photo by Wang Yuewu/Xinhua)

Passengers head to board trains at Yangzhou East Railway Station in Yangzhou City, east China's Jiangsu Province, on Feb. 23, 2026. (Photo by Ren Fei/Xinhua)