Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong railway sees record travel surge during Qingming holiday

The Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link handled 86,000 passenger trips from the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region to the Chinese mainland on Friday, setting a new single-day record amid a surge of northbound travel during the Qingming Festival holiday, according to the China Railway Guangzhou Group.

The railway operated 239 passenger trains that day, carrying a total of 119,000 passengers.

The railway line is expected to transport more than 600,000 passengers from Friday to Tuesday, marking a year-on-year increase of 10.6 percent and highlighting the strong momentum of mobility.

The strong passenger flow reflects robust enthusiasm among Hong Kong residents for tomb-sweeping, sightseeing and shopping during the Qingming Festival holiday, with the high-speed rail emerging as their preferred mode of travel.

Popular destinations for Hong Kong travelers have expanded beyond Shenzhen, Guangzhou and Chaoshan to inland cities such as Chongqing and Guilin.

From morning tea in Shenzhen to concerts in Guangzhou and culinary tours in Chaozhou, the Shenzhen-Hong Kong “one-hour living circle” has evolved from simple shopping trips into a comprehensive experience encompassing catering, accommodation, culture, sports and entertainment, accelerating economic integration between the two regions.

To cope with surging passenger flows, Shenzhen railway authorities have implemented a "daily-adjusted train diagram" scheduling mechanism, operating an average of more than 230 cross-border passenger trains daily to maximize capacity and meet travel demand.

Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong railway sees record travel surge during Qingming holiday

China continued to lead global car sales, accounting for nearly one-third of worldwide deliveries in the first eight months of the year, according to data from the World Automobile Organization, as emerging markets drove overall growth in the global auto industry.

Data released by the organization showed that 63.43 million passenger cars were sold from January to August. Of that total, China accounted for 20.31 million units, or 32 percent of global sales.

The United States ranked second, with 10.94 million passenger cars sold, accounting for 17.2 percent of global sales. By contrast, auto sales in Europe remained largely flat or edged lower over the same period.

China's global market share has been climbing since 2022 and reached a record high in 2025.

During the first eight months of the year, worldwide passenger car deliveries rose 2 percent year on year, powered by robust performance across emerging economies.

India posted a 20-percent increase in car sales, Vietnam's market jumped 28 percent, Thailand registered a 16-percent gain, while Russia recorded a 6-percent rise.

China continues to lead global car market