dexinwin China’s railway network entered one of its busiest periods of the year as the National Day holiday began, with Guangzhou South Railway Station setting a new national record for high-speed rail passenger traffic.
On October 1, Guangzhou South handled approximately1.049 million passenger arrivals and departures, becoming the first high-speed railway station in China to record more than one million passenger movements in a single day.
The station operated 1,252 passenger train services that day. During the busiest periods, the shortest interval between trains was reportedly about 40 seconds, meaning that trains were arriving or departing at intervals approaching one minute.
A Historic One-Day Passenger Record
A daily passenger volume of more than one million represents an extraordinary operational challenge for a major railway hub.
The figure includes passengers arriving at and departing from the station, reflecting the enormous scale of travel during the National Day holiday.
The record came as China’s national railway system experienced a major holiday travel peak. On October 1, the national railway network was expected to transport around 24.8 million passengers, with 2,324 additional passenger trains planned to cope with demand.
Guangzhou South was among the most visible examples of the nationwide surge.
Why Is Guangzhou South So Busy?
Guangzhou South is one of the most important railway hubs in southern China.
Several major high-speed and intercity railway routes converge at the station, including the Beijing-Guangzhou high-speed railway, the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong high-speed railway, the Guiyang-Guangzhou high-speed railway and the Nanning-Guangzhou railway.
These connections link Guangzhou with major cities across southern and central China, including Shenzhen, Hong Kong, Changsha, Wuhan, Guiyang and Nanning.
The station therefore serves far more than Guangzhou itself.
It functions as a major transportation gateway for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, one of China's most densely populated and economically active urban regions.
High-Speed Rail Has Become Part of Everyday Travel
China's high-speed rail network is increasingly being used for more than long-distance tourism.
Travel between cities for business, family visits, short holidays and other activities has become increasingly convenient as railway connections expand.
In the Greater Bay Area, where major cities are located relatively close to one another, high-speed and intercity rail services have helped reduce the practical impact of geographical distance.
This has contributed to the consistently high passenger volumes seen at Guangzhou South.
A Wider Surge Across China's Railway Network
Guangzhou was not alone in experiencing exceptional passenger demand.
On October 1, the Yangtze River Delta railway network planned to operate 3,161 passenger trains and expected to transport around 4.4 million passengers.
The actual figure reached approximately4.427 million passengers, surpassing the 4.205 million recorded on October 1, 2025, setting a new single-day National Day holiday passenger record for the region.
Shanghai also experienced exceptionally strong demand. The city's railway stations were expected to handle approximately 850,000 departing passengers on October 1, potentially setting a new historical record. Shanghai Hongqiao Railway Station alone was expected to handle about 448,000 departures.
More Than a Transport Story
The record at Guangzhou South illustrates how China's high-speed railway network has evolved into a major infrastructure supporting regional economic activity.
The movement of passengers also represents the movement of tourism spending, business activity, labor and consumption.
For large metropolitan areas, railway stations are no longer simply places where people board trains. They have become important gateways connecting cities and urban clusters.
The Greater Bay Area provides a particularly clear example of this trend, with Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Foshan, Dongguan, Hong Kong and other cities increasingly connected through dense transportation networks.
Managing the Holiday Rush
The surge in demand also creates significant challenges for railway operators.
Railway authorities have responded by adding temporary trains, optimizing passenger flows, expanding security screening capacity and adjusting station operating arrangements according to demand.
In Shanghai, for example, 165 additional passenger trains were scheduled on October 1. The waiting areas at Shanghai Station, Shanghai South Station and Shanghai Hongqiao Station could also remain open around the clock when passenger demand required it.
The experience at Guangzhou South shows the scale of China's holiday mobility.
A single railway station moving more than one million passengers in one day is not a normal daily occurrence. It is a peak-period record produced by concentrated holiday demand.
But the record also highlights the growing role of high-speed rail in connecting China's major cities and urban clusters.
As the National Day holiday continues, railway authorities are expected to face another major challenge during the return journey peak. For Guangzhou South, the one-million-passenger milestone has already established a new benchmark for the capacity of China's high-speed rail hubs.
微信扫一扫打赏
支付宝扫一扫打赏