China cross-regional trips total 303.6m on Oct. 3, down 0.4% year on year
Version 2: No new facts: the same Ministry of Transport release is now carried by additional outlets, which confirms the reported figures.
In short
China's Ministry of Transport reported 303.568 million cross-regional passenger trips on Oct. 3, 2026, the third day of the National Day holiday, down 0.6% from the previous day and 0.4% below the same day in 2025. Rail volume rose 6.1% year on year to 19.273 million and waterway volume rose 6.3% to 2.046 million, while road movement fell 0.8% to 279.99 million and civil aviation fell 5.8% to 2.259 million. The documents give no reason for the overall year-on-year decline.
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China's Ministry of Transport reported 303.568 million cross-regional passenger trips on Oct. 3, 2026, the third day of the National Day holiday, down 0.6% from the previous day and 0.4% below the same day in 2025. Business outlets CLS, Yicai and Jiemian, tech outlets IT Home and 36Kr, and China News Service all carried the same figures, with China News Service saying they came from the ministry's WeChat account. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]
Rail passenger volume was 19.273 million, down 7.2% from the previous day but up 6.1% year on year. Waterway passenger volume was 2.046 million, up 12.6% day on day and up 6.3% year on year. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]
Road passenger movement totalled 279.99 million, down 0.2% from the previous day and 0.8% year on year. Within that total, the ministry reported 37.87 million commercial road passenger trips, down 2.4% day on day and up 5.9% year on year, and 242.12 million trips by non-commercial small passenger cars on expressways and national and provincial roads, up 0.2% day on day and down 1.7% year on year. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 6 ]
Civil aviation passenger volume was 2.259 million, down 5.9% from the previous day and 5.8% year on year, the data showed. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]
The ministry compared Oct. 3, 2026 with Oct. 3, 2025, which the documents describe as the third day of a combined Mid-Autumn and National Day holiday. None of the documents offered a reason for the overall year-on-year decline, and none gave an outlook for the remaining days of the holiday. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]
Why it matters
The ministry's daily count is the main official gauge of movement during China's National Day holiday, one of the year's peak travel periods. The Oct. 3 figures show rail and waterway volumes above year-earlier levels while road and air volumes were lower. The documents do not say what caused the overall decline or what it implies for travel or spending.
Key facts
- Cross-regional passenger trips totalled 303.568 million on Oct. 3, 2026, the third day of the National Day holiday, down 0.6% from the previous day and 0.4% from the same day in 2025. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]
- Rail passenger volume was 19.273 million, down 7.2% day on day and up 6.1% year on year. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]
- Road passenger movement was 279.99 million, down 0.2% day on day and 0.8% year on year, including 37.87 million commercial road passenger trips and 242.12 million trips by non-commercial small passenger cars on expressways and national and provincial roads. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 6 ]
- Waterway passenger volume was 2.046 million, up 12.6% day on day and up 6.3% year on year. [ 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]
- Civil aviation passenger volume was 2.259 million, down 5.9% day on day and down 5.8% year on year. [ 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]
- The Ministry of Transport published the figures on its WeChat account. [ 6 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Total cross-regional passenger trips on Oct. 3, 2026 were 303.568 million, down 0.6% from the previous day and 0.4% below the same day in 2025. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]
- Rail passenger volume was 19.273 million on Oct. 3, down 7.2% from the previous day and up 6.1% year on year. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]
- Road passenger movement was 279.99 million, down 0.2% day on day and 0.8% year on year. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 6 ]
- Waterway passenger volume was 2.046 million, up 12.6% day on day and up 6.3% year on year. [ 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]
- Civil aviation passenger volume was 2.259 million, down 5.9% day on day and down 5.8% year on year. [ 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]
- The figures were issued by the Ministry of Transport, which published them on its WeChat account. [ 6 ]
Still unclear
- Why overall cross-regional trips fell 0.4% compared with the same day in 2025. All the documents report the decline but none gives a reason for it.
- Whether the comparison with 2025 is affected by the different holiday calendar. The documents note that Oct. 3, 2025 was the third day of a combined Mid-Autumn and National Day holiday, but do not say whether that makes the two dates directly comparable.
- What the day-on-day and year-on-year movements mean for the rest of the holiday. The documents report only the Oct. 3 figures and give no forecast or outlook.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- CLS publishes the Ministry of Transport's Oct. 3 travel figures. [ 1 ]
- IT Home publishes the same figures with a mode-by-mode breakdown. [ 2 ]
- Yicai publishes the figures. [ 3 ]
- Jiemian publishes the figures. [ 4 ]
- 36Kr publishes a summary of the figures. [ 5 ]
- China News Service publishes the figures, citing the ministry's WeChat account. [ 6 ]