The measures include adding temporary trains, selling tickets that maximize standing space (which sometimes means passengers will get a ticket but will have to stand for 24 hours or more), and this year, changing all sleeper carriages into seats on these extra trains.

The economic slowdown has also helped to increase passenger capacity. Wang Yongping, the ministry spokesman, said the railway departments transported less cargo like coal and oil this holiday season, so it opened more trains on busy routes partly aimed at making up the loss in freight transport.

Indeed, capacity has been put as a major challenge of the rail network during this time.

By the end of last year, 79,000 km railways have been put into operation in China, Wang said. China has become the country with the longest railways after the United States (270,000 km) and Russia (more than 100,000 km). But the per capita railway length for Chinese is shorter than a cigarette, at about 6 cm, ranking behind more than 100 countries, he said.

As railways have the advantage of lower prices, trains are also the top choice of transport for many travelers. Whenever railway capacity is increased, the added capacity is usually swiftly taken up by demand, Wang said.

According to Beijing Jiaotong University's Ji Jialun, train tickets also cost less than long-haul buses.