China’s transportation system expects to handle travel surge as May Day holiday approaches

China’s transportation system is expecting to handle a significant surge in travel as the May Day holiday, a five-day holiday season that starts on Friday, is just around the corner.

The railway sector handled the first round of travel peak on Thursday, with a total of 19.95 million passenger trips to be carried out, marking a year-on-year increase of 8.9 percent, according to China Railway.

Throughout the holiday, the railway authorities will add night high-speed trains on major lines, including those from capital Beijing to other large cities like Shanghai, Guangzhou and Harbin.

On average, about 700 night high-speed train trips will be additionally scheduled per day.

According to a report released by the Ministry of Transport on Wednesday, throughout the five-day holiday, China’s expressway network is set to see an average daily traffic volume of about 64 million vehicles.

The departing traffic peak is expected to fall on the first day of the holiday, with the volume projected to hit a high of 70 million vehicle trips, the highest single-day travel volume compared with the May Day holidays in other years.

Travel during the May Day holiday is mainly for holiday making, with travelers heading towards diverse destinations. They may embark on inter-city short trips or travel to rural areas, the report said.

According to the civil aviation authorities, throughout the May Day holiday, the civil aviation sector is expected to handle a total of 11 million passenger trips, with a daily average of 2.2 million.

The travel peak is projected to fall at the beginning and the end of the holiday season, the authorities said.

China’s box office revenue for 2026 has surpassed 12.9 billion yuan (about 1.89 billion U.S. dollars) as of Wednesday evening, with pre-sales for the upcoming May Day holiday topping 50 million yuan (about 7.31 million U.S. dollars), according to the latest data released by online platforms.

A rich selection of movies will hit the big screens nationwide from May 1 to 5, including patriotic dramas, comedies, action films, and animations, offering audiences plenty of entertaining choices during the five-day May Day holiday.

Various movie-themed activities will also be launched across China during the holiday as a campaign to boost holiday tourism consumption.