BEIJING, Aug. 22 -- The nation's railways recorded 701 million railway passenger trips from July 1 to Aug. 21, data from the China State Railway Group Co., Ltd. shows.

The number of passenger trips handled by railways nationwide was approximately 15.69 million last Saturday, a record daily high for the summer travel rush, the data shows.

During the period, 10,444 trains were operating daily, marking an increase of 15.8 percent over the same period in 2019.

To improve services for passengers, the company said that it would further facilitate the passenger information services, optimizing ticket purchasing information, ticket changing information and notices of train delays, among other things.

The summer travel rush is usually a busy season for the country's railway system as college students return home for the summer vacation, while family visits and tourist trips also increase during this season. This year's summer travel rush will last for 62 days and end on Aug. 31.