As the week-long National Day holiday entered its fifth day on Saturday, many holidaymakers across China have embarked on return trips by train, car and air, bringing holiday traffic flow to another peak.
Data from the Ministry of Transport showed that China is expected to deliver over 284 million cross-regional trips on Friday, with more than 17.95 million trips made by railway.
Since the beginning of the holiday travel rush on Sept. 29, the national railway network has already transported over 100 million passenger trips, with daily passenger flow consistently exceeding 17 million trips.
As the return passenger flow gradually increased starting Saturday, regional departments across the country have enhanced efforts to ensure transportation services during the period.
Expressways continued to see dense traffic across the country, especially in the metropolises of Shanghai and Guangdong Province's Guangzhou, as well as Changsha City of central China's Hunan Province and Suzhou City, east China's Jiangsu Province.
Meanwhile, the country's civil aviation sector is expected to transport more than 2.32 million passengers on the same day, up over 5 percent compared with the previous day.
China sees peak return trips as National Day holiday winds down
A car carrier with a capacity of 10,800 car equivalent units, described as the world's largest of its kind, was delivered Tuesday in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou, demonstrating China's growing capabilities in high-end shipbuilding.
The vessel, named Glovis Leader, was built by Guangzhou Shipyard International Company Limited, a subsidiary of China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC), together with China Shipbuilding Trading Co., Ltd.
It was delivered to HMM, a leading shipping company in the Republic of Korea (ROK). After delivery, the vessel will be operated by Hyundai Glovis Co., Ltd., a logistics company also based in the ROK.
Classified as a pure car and truck carrier, the ship is 230 meters long and 40 meters wide, with a design draft of 10.5 meters and a cruising speed of 19 knots. It features 14 vehicle decks and can carry a range of cargo, including electric, hydrogen-powered, and heavy trucks.
The Glovis Leader is powered by a dual-fuel system using liquefied natural gas and conventional fuel, meeting the International Maritime Organization's Tier III emissions standards. It also incorporates energy-saving technologies, including optimized hull design, waste heat recovery systems and shore power capability.
During the construction process, the Chinese builders successfully overcame technical challenges, reduced cost and delivered the vessel ahead of schedule.
"Because our company has a complete supply chain control system, the overall construction cost is relatively low. Currently, this ship can accommodate more than 10,800 standard cars, and with our optimized design, the vessel layout can now accommodate up to 11,000 standard cars," said Zhang Fuli, the technical manager of the car carrier from Guangzhou Shipyard International Company Limited.
Guangzhou Shipyard International highlighted its commitment to innovation and efficiency with the delivery of its latest car carrier.
The company has secured more than 40 orders for car carriers and delivered 26 to date. All vessels delivered so far were completed ahead of schedule, with 11 ships delivered in 2025, averaging 151 days early.
The company currently holds orders worth about 100 billion yuan (about 14.58 billion U.S. dollars), with overseas contracts accounting for more than 95 percent of the total. Production is scheduled through 2030.
"During the sea trials and ship delivery, we leverage the smart maritime platform, drones and on-site patrol vessels to strengthen traffic management in the surrounding waters, maintain navigation order, and fully support the manufacturing of high-end ship building and automobile export," said Chen Lizhong, commander of Longxue Maritime Patrol and Law Enforcement Unit of Guangzhou Nansha Maritime Affairs Bureau.
World's largest car carrier highlights China's growing capabilities in high-end shipbuilding
