On April 1, among the dense crowds of travelers at Chengdudong Railway Station, many children could be seen—some accompanied by their parents, others traveling in groups. They are setting off on a spring study tour.

On the same day, primary and secondary school students in many parts of Sichuan began their first spring break, leading to a travel surge at transportation hubs such as railway stations and airports. The reporter learned from China Railway Chengdu Group Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as CR Chengdu) that multiple spring study tour trains will be added in southwest China. Data from the Qunar.com platform shows that Chengdu led the country in the number of flight departures on the first day of the spring break.

Increasing Capacity by Adding More Trains

This year, the Qingming Festival holiday and the primary and secondary school spring break form a consecutive holiday period. As a result, railway passenger traffic has shown characteristics of an early start, sustained high volume, and concentrated peaks. CR Chengdu has formulated a railway transportation plan for spring outings, with an estimated 2,211 trains scheduled to meet passenger travel demand.

High-speed rail is the top choice for travelers in southwest China during the spring season. During the spring outing period, CR Chengdu will focus on strengthening popular direct lines such as Chengdu–Beijing, Chongqing–Xi'an, and Guiyang–Wuhan. It will add direct high-speed train services to destinations such as Shanghai, Changsha, Nanning, and Kunming, and will operate an additional 209 high-speed trains on popular routes, including the new Chengdu–Kunming Railway, Chengdu–Dujiangyan Railway, Xi'an–Chengdu High-Speed Railway, Chongqing–Guiyang Railway, and Sichuan–Qinghai Railway. On the peak travel days of April 3 and April 6, nighttime capacity will be increased, with 16 additional nighttime high-speed trains to south China, 16 to Xi'an, and 15 to Nanning.

The reporter learned from railway stations in Chengdu that between April 1 and 7, the station is expected to handle 3.010 million passenger trips, and the peak travel day is expected on April 4, when an estimated 500,000 passenger trips will be handled. Among them, Chengdudong Railway Station will handle the largest volume, with an estimated 1.859 million passenger trips. In terms of travel flows, popular destinations outside the province include cities such as Chongqing, Xi'an, and Guiyang, while within the province, favored destinations are cultural and tourism hotspots such as Xichang, Leshan, and Yibin.

To ensure smooth travel for passengers, Chengdu Railway Station will operate all scheduled trains according to the full-capacity train diagram during the holiday, totaling 536 pairs.

Trains Heading for Scenic Spots

The reporter learned that to meet the demand for cultural tourism consumption during the holiday, railway departments will promote the initiative of running "trains heading for scenic spots".

"Traveling by high-speed train to Jiuzhai and Huanglong" has become a popular choice for short-distance trips. A total of 116 additional trains will be operated on the Sichuan–Qinghai Railway, and nighttime high-speed trains will run from April 3 to 6. Coinciding with the Dujiangyan Water Releasing Festival, a total of 108 additional trains will be operated on the Chengdu–Dujiangyan Railway. Flower viewing tours have also become a consumption hotspot during the "spring outing" period. The sea of flowers in the Panxi region has attracted a large number of visitors for spring outings, and a total of 14 additional trains will be operated on the new Chengdu–Kunming Railway.

Not only can tourists travel by train for leisure, but they can also take the train for study tours. From April 1 to 7, CR Chengdu plans to operate seven special tourist trains to destinations such as Yinchuan, Ningbo, and Yueyang. It will also run spring study tour trains, including services between Leshan and Kunming, and between Leshan and Xi'anbei.

Given the characteristics of large group sizes and abundant luggage, railway stations hosting study tour trains will also develop special plans, set up designated waiting areas and green channels, assign dedicated staff to provide guidance throughout the process, and implement batch check-in and priority boarding.

Unlocking the "First Flight in Life"

April 1 also marks the first day of spring break for primary and secondary schools in other parts of the country. Data from the Qunar.com platform shows that on the first day of spring break, enthusiasm for family travel was high. The number of passengers under 18 increased by more than 100 percent year-on-year, accounting for nearly 20 percent of the total air passengers on that day. The spring break has become an opportunity for many children to experience their "first flight in life". Data shows that from April 1 to 3, the number of children under 12 purchasing their "first flight ticket" increased by twice year-on-year, while the increase among teenagers aged 13 to 18 reached 2.7 times.

From the perspective of departure cities, those where spring breaks have begun showed notably higher travel enthusiasm. On April 1, Chengdu became the city with the highest number of flight departures nationwide, with the main destinations being Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Sanya, and Hangzhou. Hainan, which had entered the off-season, saw its tourism popularity continue thanks to the spring break. From April 1 to 6, hotel bookings in Sanya increased by 1.4 times year-on-year, with visitors from Chengdu accounting for the largest share.