BEIJING -- China's railways are expected to handle 158 million passenger trips during the May Day holiday travel period -- an eight-day travel rush from April 29 to May 6, China State Railway Group Co., Ltd. said on Wednesday.

During this period, an average of 12,000 passenger trains are scheduled to run daily. May 1 is projected to be the busiest day, with an estimated 24.5 million passenger trips-- the holiday's peak single-day figure.

The surge in travel is driven by the strong demand for tourism, family visits and leisure activities, according to the railway operator.

As of 8 am Wednesday, China's railway ticketing platform 12306 had sold 83.02 million tickets for the holiday period.

Railway authorities are closely tracking passenger flows and ramping up services dynamically to meet demand, the railway operator added.