A drone photo taken on Jan. 26, 2024 shows passengers waiting for ticket check at Hefei South Railway Station in Hefei, east China's Anhui province. (PHOTO / XINHUA)

BEIJING - China's railway network handled 230 million passenger trips from Jan 26 to Feb 14, the first half of the 40-day Spring Festival travel rush, China State Railway Group Co, Ltd said Thursday.

The railway sector reported 14.25 million passengers Wednesday, setting a record for daily passenger numbers during the Spring Festival travel rush, it said.

It also forecast 15.2 million railway passengers for Thursday, as the eight-day holiday will end Saturday.

READ MORE: Report: Chinese tourists to make over 6b domestic trips in 2024

The Spring Festival, which fell on Feb 10 this year, is China's biggest traditional festival. This year's Spring Festival travel rush started on Jan 26 and will end on March 5.