The 62-day summer railway travel season concluded today (September 31). Despite the impact of multiple typhoons and torrential rains during this year's summer travel season, passenger demand remained strong, especially on new lines that were put into operation for the first time this year, which achieved even more impressive passenger performance.

Starting July 1st, the national railway implemented a summer train schedule in addition to the third-quarter schedule. New lines such as the Xi'an-Yan'an, Xi'an-Shiyan, and Chenzhou-Baishan high-speed railways, which were put into operation for the first time during the summer travel season, saw a surge in travel. During this year's summer travel season, Yan'an Station handled a total of 986,000 departing passengers and 973,000 arriving passengers, representing year-on-year increases of 33% and 30%, respectively.

The Shenyang-Changbaishan High-Speed Railway ushered in its first summer travel season since its opening, transporting a total of 1.752 million passengers. In response to the concentrated tourist flow in the Changbaishan area, the China Railway Shenyang Bureau added passenger trains from Changchun and Beijing to Changbaishan.

Sun Yang, duty manager of Shenyang Station: Since the start of the summer travel season, in order to meet the travel needs of passengers, six pairs of high-speed trains from Shenyang, Dalian and other areas to Changbai Mountain have been put into double-unit operation. On peak days, the number of passenger trains from Shenyang to Changbai Mountain can reach up to 11 pairs.

Passenger: It feels so convenient to take the high-speed rail to Changbai Mountain now; you can go and return on the same day.

Just one day before the summer travel season, the Xi'an-Shiyan high-speed railway officially opened, reducing the travel time between Xi'an and Wuhan to as little as 2 hours and 41 minutes. This further facilitated the fast passage from Northwest China to Central and South China, leading to a significant increase in tourists to scenic spots along the line, such as Tianzhu Mountain and Manchuan Ancient Town. More and more travelers are choosing to take the high-speed rail to explore the landscapes and culture deep in the Qinling Mountains.

Zhang Wei, Director of the Culture and Tourism Bureau of Shangluo City, Shaanxi Province: After the opening of the Xi'an-Shiyan High-Speed Railway, we created a high-quality "fast travel, slow tour" route. During this year's summer travel season, the Qinling Museum received 67% more visitors than the previous year, and Mancheng Ancient Town received 36% more visitors than the previous year, further releasing the consumption potential of the summer season.

New trains and new ways to experience create new consumption scenarios for summer.

During the summer travel season, market demand for family travel, study tours, red tourism, and health and wellness tourism has increased significantly. Upgraded tourist trains and new ticket discounts have not only provided new options for holiday travel but also created new scenarios for the summer consumption market.

Just a few days ago, the "Kunming, Yunnan" tourist train departed from Kunming, embarking on a 19-day loop tour of Xinjiang. Not only Yunnan, but also Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, Shenyang, and many other cities have launched long-distance tourist trains to Xinjiang during this summer travel season. Panda-themed trains such as the "Colorful Guizhou" and "Beautiful Tianfu" lead tourists to Kashgar in Xinjiang, Manzhouli in Inner Mongolia, and Mohe in Heilongjiang, providing travelers with diverse and personalized travel options.

In July alone, the national railway system operated 212 tourist trains. New tourist train lines continued to be added, with 145 trains operating in July alone. New lines such as "Starlight·Yanzhao" and "Yangtze River Delta Star" were launched, creating "mobile star-rated hotels" and exploring more "tourist train+" services.

Tourist Kong Weili: Both the upper and lower berths are soft sleeper berths, and the upper berths are very, very nicely made, and they also provide drinks, mineral water and other necessities.

Meanwhile, the railway, in collaboration with local cultural and tourism departments, has successfully bridged the "last mile" of "intercity + scenic spot" tourism travel. In Kaifeng, Henan, passengers can seamlessly transfer to connecting buses after exiting the station to reach scenic spots, making it easy to enjoy a trip to "Bianliang".

Tourist Ms. Song: Right outside the train station is a direct bus to the scenic area. Our train tickets can be exchanged for scenic area vouchers, which can then be used to redeem fruits and drinks within the scenic area.

Yang Zhiyu, Party Branch Secretary of Kaifeng Railway Station: We dynamically adjust transportation capacity and optimize station organization through big data to enable passengers to reach scenic spots with "zero transfers" after exiting the station. We have also innovatively launched a benefit of exchanging train tickets for scenic spots as "silver tickets" to enrich tourists' travel experience.

Xiang Aibing, Director of the Integration and Innovation Research Center at the Institute of Comprehensive Transportation of the National Development and Reform Commission, stated: "In the past, passengers bought a point-to-point transportation ticket; now they are buying a complete tourism service. The value of tourist trains lies not only in transporting more tourists, but also in integrating scattered resources such as transportation, scenic spots, accommodation, catering, and performances, extending the consumption chain, and tapping into more incremental consumption." (Source: CCTV News)