China's summer railway transport peak period ends

Passengers are seen outside the Beijing Railway Station in Beijing, capital of China, August 31, 2017. China's summer transport peak period ran from July 1 to August 31, when students on summer vacation had time to travel or return home. [Photo: Xinhua/Liu Xianguo]

China's summer transport peak period ended Thursday, with nearly 600 million of passenger trips made by train this year, according to China Railway Corporation.

Passengers wait for trains at Suzhou Railway Station in Suzhou City, east China's Jiangsu Province, August 31, 2017. China's summer transport peak period ran from July 1 to August 31, when students on summer vacation had time to travel or return home. [Photo: Xinhua/Wang Jiankang]

The period runs from July 1 to August 31, when students on summer vacation have time to travel or return home.

"During the transport peak, even tickets for business class on high-speed rail, which are much more expensive than standard tickets, were in high demand," said Song Jianguo, an official with Beijing West Railway Station. 

Passengers take tickets from the ticket vending machines at Suzhou Railway Station in Suzhou City, east China's Jiangsu Province, August 31, 2017. China's summer transport peak period ran from July 1 to August 31, when students on summer vacation had time to travel or return home. [Photo: Xinhua/Wang Jiankang]

One high-speed train departed from Shanghai Hongqiao Railway Station every two minutes during the peak period.

During the summer, Yangtze River Delta railways recorded 118 million passenger trips, a year-on-year increase of 11.5%. Beijing Railway Bureau recorded 60 million during the same period.

Passengers prepare to get on a bullet train at Wuxi Railway Station in Wuxi City, east China's Jiangsu Province, August 31, 2017. China's summer transport peak period ran from July 1 to August 31, when students on summer vacation had time to travel or return home. [Photo: Xinhua/Huan Yueliang]

Western China's railways have also seen rising passenger numbers. The new high-speed link between Baoji in northwest China's Shaanxi Province with Lanzhou, capital of neighboring Gansu Province, carried 41,100 people on August 12, the most since it started operations on July 9.

"With Baoji-Lanzhou line, the number of passengers from Xi'an to Lanzhou and Xining, capital of northwest China's Qinghai Province has increased from last year's 10,000 to 23,000 this year," said Hui Lixia, deputy director of the Xi'an North Station.