BEIJING, May 31 (Xinhua) -- Chinese railways added extra trains in order to handle a record number of passengers during the Dragon Boat Festival holiday, China Railway, a state-owned company, said Wednesday.
From May 27 to 30, a total of 1,633 temporary trains were added as the number of trips made by railway passengers nationwide hit nearly 43.6 million, up 8 percent year on year, said the China Railway Corporation.
The daily passenger flow peak reached a record 12.3 million on May 28, up 8.9 percent year on year.
The festival is celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth month of the Chinese lunar calendar, which fell on May 30 this year.
Traditions associated with the festival include racing dragon boats and eating "zongzi," or glutinous rice dumplings and fillings wrapped in bamboo or reed leaves.
