BEIJING, Feb. 11 (Xinhua) -- Railway trips in China reached 60.3 million during the week-long Spring Festival holiday from Feb. 4 to Feb. 10, data from the national railway operator showed Monday.

Passengers wait to enter a subway outside Beijing Railway Station, after arriving by train to China's capital during the Chinese Lunar New Year travel rush as the annual Spring Festival holidays end in Beijing, China February 11, 2019. (Photo: VCG)

On Feb. 10, some 12.6 million passenger trips were made by rail, up 4.4 percent year on year, according to the China Railway Corporation (CRC).

Hundreds of millions of Chinese went back to their hometowns to celebrate the Chinese Lunar New Year with their families. The annual travel rush around the festival, known as "chunyun," often puts the country's transportation system to the test.

This year's Spring Festival travel rush started from Jan. 21 and will last till March 1, with railway trips expected to hit 413 million in total, up 8.3 percent.