Zhengzhou, Tianjin increase transport capacity to handle peak travel demand

China's Zhengzhou and Tianjin, both popular travel destinations during the National Day holiday running from Oct 1 to 7, have boosted transport capacity to meet a surge in return travel as the holiday nears its end.

China's railway network is expected to handle 24.15 million passenger trips on Wednesday, with 2,449 additional trains scheduled to accommodate the high demand, according to China State Railway Group Co., Ltd. (China Railway).

China Railway Zhengzhou Group in central China's Henan Province said it will add 128 train services, including 53 high-speed sleeper trains to major destinations such as Beijing and Shanghai.

For air travel, Zhengzhou Xinzheng International Airport plans to operate over 600 flights, increasing the frequency of routes to popular destinations such as Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Kunming and Chengdu to keep passenger travel smooth during the peak return period.

In north China's Tianjin, the municipal railway authorities have planned to add 9.5 pairs of temporary trains services -- comprising eight pairs of conventional trains and 1.5 pairs of high-speed trains -- to raise service levels on the Beijing-Tianjin Intercity Railway.

The week-long holiday has been a peak travel and tourism period when people across the country flock to cultural and scenic destinations.

Zhengzhou, Tianjin increase transport capacity to handle peak travel demand

Qatar said Tuesday that negotiations and exchanges of messages among parties to the regional conflict are continuing through the country and its regional partners.

Ibrahim bin Sultan Al-Hashmi, director of the media and communications department at Qatar's Foreign Ministry, said at a weekly media briefing that Qatar could not disclose details of the ongoing diplomatic exchanges but confirmed that talks were continuing.

The scale of this conflict and the magnitude of the price that the whole world is paying require Qatar to put its best efforts to end this immediately through a negotiable solution on the negotiation table, Al-Hashmi said.

He added that negotiations had taken into consideration the concerns of the various parties, without specifying details.

On the same day, Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani met visiting Iranian Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni and discussed the latest regional developments and efforts to de-escalate tensions.

Sheikh Tamim met Momeni and his delegation at the Amiri Diwan, the emir's administration office, in Doha, according to a statement from the Amiri Diwan.

Conflict between the United States and Iran has dragged on for more than seven months, with no breakthrough in sight.

Qatar says negotiations, message exchanges ongoing to end regional conflict