China's National Day holiday travel showcases expanding transport network

During China's National Day holiday from October 1 to 7, cross-regional passenger trips exceeded 300 million on each of the first three days, according to the Ministry of Transport. China State Railway Group reported over 25.2 million passenger trips on October 1, a new single-day record. The Zhang family was among millions traveling, taking a direct high-speed train from Ankang to Yan'an after the Xi'an-Ankang high-speed railway opened, reducing a journey that once took over seven hours to just over two hours.

By the end of 2025, China's comprehensive transport network spanned more than 6 million kilometers, including the world's largest high-speed rail network. On September 28, four major high-speed railway sections across northern, northwestern, central and northeastern China opened, adding over 1,100 kilometers. New energy vehicles are increasingly popular for long-distance travel, with the Ministry of Transport expecting NEV trips on expressways during the holiday to reach 1.8 times the usual level. China now has more than 24 million EV charging facilities, the world's largest network, with about 89,000 charging facilities in highway service areas covering virtually all such areas. Mobile emergency chargers were added at key service areas, and drivers were encouraged to leave after charging to 80 percent to improve turnover.

Online travel platform Qunar data showed nearly 30 percent of travelers booked hotels in at least two cities, while bookings involving four or more cities surged 53 percent year on year. Chinese airlines operated regular international passenger routes connecting 177 cities in 80 countries. Outbound hotel bookings for multi-country trips more than doubled year on year, and inbound tourism saw double-digit growth, with day-tour bookings up more than fourfold and train ticket bookings up over 170 percent year on year during the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day breaks, according to Trip.com Group.

The transport network also kept goods moving. At Nanning Port in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, the Liujing operating area remained busy. The Pinglu Canal, stretching 134.2 kilometers from Hengzhou to the Beibu Gulf, opened to navigation on September 16, providing a shorter river-sea route for cargo from southwest China to international markets. Bulk cargo including construction materials, auto parts and grain is shipped via the canal to the Beibu Gulf for export, handling an additional 20,000 tonnes per day on average. "We expect to transport 200,000 tonnes of cargo during the National Day holiday," said You Tong, deputy manager of the production operations center at Nanning Port Development and Investment Co., Ltd. You added that the port optimized operations and maintained round-the-clock staffing to keep cargo moving smoothly. According to Xinhua, which republished the report, these developments highlight China's transport strength during peak travel periods.