BEIJING — Passenger trips on Chinese railways hit a new single-day high on May 1 as the May Day holiday kicked off, official data showed.

Nearly 18.83 million passenger trips were made on May 1, the first day of the five-day holiday, the China State Railway Group Co Ltd said.

It marked an increase of 9.2 percent from the 2019 level.

The company is expecting about 14.2 million railway passenger trips on May 2.

May Day, also known as International Workers' Day, is observed on May 1 in China. As the holiday lasts from May 1 to 5 this year, many people choose to travel during the holiday.