Passengers at Huzhou Railway Station, East China's Zhejiang province. [Photo/hz66.com]

The number of trains departing from Huzhou Railway Station has increased to 210, as the summer travel season commenced on July 1, according to the latest national train schedule.

The updated schedule reveals an additional 12 trains heading to popular destinations such as Nanjing, Hangzhou, Jieshou, and Wuhan. Among them, four will operate exclusively on weekends and holidays, catering to the surge in demand for travel to Hangzhou and Nanjing.

It is projected that the number of passengers during the peak travel season will increase by around 20 percent compared to the corresponding period in 2019, before the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

With the summer vacation period scheduled to run until Aug 31, people are anxious to embark on long-awaited trips, particularly across provinces, following the relaxation of pandemic control measures nationwide.

In addition to the ever-popular tourist cities such as Xiamen, Beijing, and Nanjing, emerging destinations including Urumqi and Kunming are expected to experience a significant influx of tourists.

Notably, ticket demand for routes from Huzhou to Fuding in Fujian, Beijing, Wuhan, Chongqing, Changsha, and Xiamen remains exceptionally high. Given the current ticket booking situation, it is advisable for travelers to plan and secure their arrangements well in advance.