China’s railways, roads, airports clogged with millions going home after holidays

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The government dispatched an additional 160,000 officers across the country this year to help direct road traffic throughout the holidays. Image: AFP/Chandan Khanna via AFP Relaxnews

Train stations across China operated at peak capacity Sunday, with an estimated 15.2 million people boarding a train to head home following the week-long National Day holiday.

With National Day holiday, also known as Golden Week, coming to a close, the numbers are in, and they paint a busy, crowded picture of millions of Chinese holiday-makers trying to get home.

To meet demand, the China Railway Corporation added 814 extra trains to the schedule, reports Xinhua news.

The government also dispatched an additional 160,000 traffic police officers across the country to help direct road traffic and safety throughout the holidays.

Air travel also experienced heavy volumes this year, with 1.74 million Chinese travelers flying through the Beijing Capital International Airport between Oct. 1 to 6.

On Sunday alone, the airport handled 1,722 flights and a passenger volume of 306,500.

Overall, this year, Chinese tourists made an estimated 726 million domestic trips over the week, marking a 9 percent increase from 2017.

According to online travel agency Ctrip, the most popular overseas travel destinations during this year’s Golden Week were Japan, Thailand and South Korea.

National Day Golden Week began Oct. 1 and wrapped up Oct. 7. JB

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