Railway transportation for the National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival holiday will commence on September 29, with tickets available for purchase starting September 15, 15 days in advance as per the pre-sale policy.
Below is the ticket purchase schedule:
The 2025 combined holiday spans eight days, with overlapping travel demands from tourism, family visits, and student flows. Rail passenger volumes are expected to be substantial, concentrated at the beginning and the end of the holiday, characterized by "more long-distance travel at the start and end, and more medium/short-distance travel in the middle."
To address these trends, the railway holiday transport plan will span 12 days from September 29 to October 10. Nationwide, railways are projected to handle 219 million passenger trips, with October 1 marking the peak travel day.
During this period, high-speed operation schedules will be implemented, with approximately 13,000 daily passenger trains planned. Overnight high-speed trains will be added during peak periods (September 29–October 2 and October 7–9).
China Railway 12306 will balance short- and long-distance demand, dynamically allocate tickets to busy stations, and optimize functions like waitlist purchasing, online seat selection, and pre-sale alerts to enhance travel convenience.
Student discount tickets are available year-round via the "Student Ticket Booking" section on 12306. Eligible students can submit booking requests 20–17 days before departure.
Discounted fares for students, children, disabled military personnel, and police officers will apply as per regulations. Travelers are advised to avoid peak travel times where possible; if direct tickets are sold out, consider same-train transfers or connecting routes.
Author | Jiang Chang
Photo | Nanfang Plus
Editor | Wei Shen, James Campion, Shen He
