BEIJING — Nearly 7.66 million railway passenger trips were made in China on Jan 30, the fourth day of the Lunar New Year holiday, a 9.1 percent increase on last year, official data showed Jan 31.

The passenger trips could hit 8.3 million on Jan 31 as people embarked on return journey with the holiday ending on Feb 2, according to China Railway Corporation (CRC).

Nearly 6 million train tickets were sold online Jan 30, accounting for 69.3 percent of the daily total.

The CRC announced it would lay on 407 additional trains on Jan 31.

During the New Year holiday, hundreds of millions of people go back to their hometowns to meet relatives and old friends, putting huge stress on the transport system.

Chinese people have never been more affluent and keen to travel. Every year, pressure on the transport system is huge, despite improvements in infrastructure over the last few years.

Some 258 million visitor trips have been made in China during the first four days of the Lunar New Year holiday, data from the China National Tourism Administration (CNTA) showed.

From Jan 27 to Jan 30, China’s tourism revenue reached 316 billion yuan ($46 billion), up 16 percent year on year, according to the CNTA.