The Chinese Ministry of Railways predicts travelers will make 40.3 million journeys by train in ten days from April 28 to May 7 before and during the imminent May Day holiday.

Thanks to the policy of more days off, Chinese have started enjoying a week-long holiday from May 1 to 7 since 2000. Millions of passengers choose traveling around the country during the golden travel season.

The railway departments, which always meet the huge holiday demand on the whole, predict more passengers will choose to take railways during this May Day holiday in comparison with last May.

A peak railway passenger flow will appear on May 1, when 4.35 million journeys will be made, said the ministry.

The ministry plans to add more special tourist trains and temporary trains during the holiday period to ease transport pressure, and all local railway departments have been ordered to prepare emergency plans for the travel "Golden Week".

(Xinhua News Agency April 12, 2006)