Golden Week Closes With Return Rush: 2,449 Extra Trains as EV Charging Surges 51%
China's Golden Week holiday closed on Oct. 7 with the traditional return rush, and rail authorities scheduled 2,449 additional trains to handle the peak, according to transport officials. The holiday also revealed a shifting travel mix: Reuters, citing transport ministry data, reported average daily cross-regional passenger trips of 306 million, with rail trips up about 13% year on year while air travel was flat.
Road travel remained the largest mode but slipped 1.4% in daily volume, as retail gasoline prices up about 24% since the start of the year pushed more travelers onto trains. Trips by electric and other new-energy vehicles rose 35%, and average daily electricity use at highway charging stations surged 51% from last year — a snapshot of how quickly China's road travel is electrifying.
Energy Aspects noted that the expanding high-speed rail network is reshaping road and air demand, with national gasoline consumption down 6% in the first nine months of the year. The consultancy expected fuel demand to weaken further after October as the travel season winds down.
Transport officials summarized the holiday as confirming a dual trend — rail as the backbone and electrified self-driving: a denser high-speed network keeps pulling trips under 500 kilometers onto trains, while the growing EV fleet kept road travel resilient despite high fuel prices. The pattern is expected to intensify further at the 2027 Spring Festival travel rush.
Photo: 中国高铁站台实景，CC BY-SA 4.0（Wikimedia Commons，摄影：Windmemories）
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 中国高铁站台实景，CC BY-SA 4.0（Wikimedia Commons，摄影：Windmemories）
