China's railways are expected to handle 284 million passenger trips during the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holiday travel rush, which began on Wednesday, China State Railway Group said.

The 16-day travel period runs through Oct 8, with passenger numbers expected to peak on Oct 1. About 13,000 passenger trains are scheduled to run daily, the national railway operator said.

By 8 am on Wednesday, 96.21 million tickets had been sold through the official 12306 ticketing platform for journeys during the holidays. Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou were among the most popular departure and arrival cities.

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The company said demand for tourism and family visits was strong, with short-distance Mid-Autumn trips overlapping with longer National Day journeys.

To meet demand, the operator will add trains and carriages on busy routes. It plans up to 700 additional overnight high-speed services a day during selected peak periods, including on major lines linking Beijing with Shanghai and Guangzhou and Harbin.

Daily high-speed sleeper services will also operate on selected routes from Sept 23 to Oct 12, including between Beijing and Hong Kong.

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Tickets remain relatively plentiful for travel from Oct 2 to 5, while some trains during departure and return peaks still have seats available, the company said.

Travelers were advised to book through 12306 and use its waitlist function if tickets sell out and allow extra time at busy stations.