China is bracing for a major travel surge in the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holidays, with hundreds of millions of people taking to the roads, railways and skies for family reunions and vacations from Friday.

About 650 million cross-regional trips are expected during the three-day Mid-Autumn Festival holiday, averaging 220 million a day, according to the Ministry of Transport.

Travel is anticipated to intensify during the longer National Day break as more people are expected to embark on longer journeys. About 2.13 billion cross-regional trips are forecast over the seven-day holiday, averaging more than 300 million a day. The rush is expected to peak on Oct 1 at about 340 million trips, nearly twice the normal daily level.

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"People's willingness to travel will be particularly strong," Vice-Minister of Transport Li Yang said on Thursday.

Roads will carry the bulk of the traffic, with self-driven and other road trips expected to account for more than 90 percent of all journeys. Highway traffic could reach 71 million vehicles on Oct 1, about 1.9 times the daily average in August.

China's rapidly growing electric vehicle fleet is adding a new feature to the holiday rush. The country now has nearly 49 million new energy vehicles, and up to 17.8 million, 1.8 times the normal level of traffic, could use expressways on Oct 1.

To meet rising charging demand, about 89,000 charging facilities have been installed at expressway service areas nationwide, including about 22,000 high-power charging points. Roughly 11,000 high-power chargers were added in the first eight months of this year alone.

Railways are also preparing for heavy demand. About 284 million passenger trips are expected during the 16-day railway holiday travel period from Wednesday to Oct 8, with the busiest day likely to exceed 24.4 million trips and set a National Day travel record, according to Wang Qiming, deputy head of the National Railway Administration.

Railway operators plan to run an average of 13,000 passenger trains a day, including additional overnight high-speed services on busy routes such as Beijing-Shanghai and Beijing-Guangzhou.

Airlines are adding capacity as well. China Eastern Airlines plans about 140 outbound flights a day from Beijing Daxing International Airport during the holidays, with capacity up more than 20 percent year-on-year.

"Travel demand is more dispersed this year because the two holidays are close together," said Pang Bo, a senior manager with China Eastern's Beijing branch. He said Shanghai, Kunming, Chengdu, Guangzhou and Hangzhou are among the most popular domestic destinations from Daxing, while seats remain available on many routes.

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Travel habits are evolving alongside China's expanding transport network. The Ministry of Transport expects journeys combining flights or high-speed rail with rental cars at destinations to rise by more than 20 percent, as travelers seek longer and more flexible trips.

Some airlines are also turning the journey into part of the holiday experience. China Southern Airlines plans 155 evening and overnight "moon-viewing flights" from Beijing Daxing during the Mid-Autumn Festival, offering passengers a chance to celebrate the traditional festival above the clouds.

Contact the writers at luowangshu@chinadaily.com.cn