Railway trips for the 2026 Mid‑Autumn Festival and National Day holidays will run from September 23 to October 8, with the peak anticipated to be on October 1. Train tickets for September 23 have been available starting September 9.

With the two holidays falling close to each other this year, travel demand is expected to surge. To accommodate the holiday crowds, railway authorities plan to implement a range of measures, including adding overnight high-speed trains and overnight high-speed sleeper trains, launching coupled operations of EMUs, and attaching extra carriages to regular passenger trains. In addition, special tourist trains and trains for specific groups, such as fans attending music concerts or sports events, will be added to meet the diverse needs of travelers during the holidays.

Railway authorities advise travelers to plan their trips as early as possible. If your desired tickets are unavailable, make full use of the waitlist ticketing service on the official platforms of China Railway 12306. Passengers are allowed to select up to 60 sets of "travel date + train number". Choosing more combinations can increase the chances of a successful ticket reservation. If direct tickets are sold out, you can consider alternative travel options, such as purchasing separate tickets for consecutive legs of your trip on the same train or transferring to another train en route to reach your destination.

Railway authorities remind passengers to register on the 12306 system with valid mobile phone numbers. For certain passengers, such as minors, the elderly, or those without mobile phones, the mobile phone number of a guardian, relative, or friend who can be easily contacted should be provided. Please update your contact number promptly if it has been changed, and keep your mobile phone accessible.

(Source: China Railway)