Millions take the train for a break

Railway stations in the Yangtze River Delta Region sent off over 3.3 million people on May 4, the last day of the May Day holiday, China Railway said.

It added 245 extra trains.

About half a million passengers arrived in Shanghai on May 4, with around 430,000 departing from the city's three railway stations.

Shanghai Metro put on after-hours services at Hongqiao Railway Station on Line 2 for passengers arriving late. The last train will leave at 12:30am on May 5.

Over the break, rail routes passing tourist attractions saw a major increase in passenger flow. The Thousand-Island Lake Railway Station in Zhejiang Province sent off 11,720 people on May 3, a record high since the station opened on December 25 last year.

There was one problem that stood out. Many passengers buying tickets for a short section of a route stayed on for destinations further away after paying the extra fare on board. Train K8372 from Jiangshan in Zhejiang to Huaibei in Anhui was found to be overloaded at Nanjing Railway Station on May 1. Many passengers with valid tickets couldn’t get on because their seats were occupied by passengers who had paid the extra fare to stay on.

The station had no choice but to give those at Nanjing Station a full refund and ask them to take another train.

An official from China Railway told Shanghai Daily that overloading could lead to an insufficient power supply and affect a train's braking capability.

The company apologized on May 4, promising to improve services in the future. It also urged passengers not to take journeys longer than shown on their tickets.