BEIJING, Jan. 8 -- Some 34.74 million passenger trips were made Saturday, the first day of the 2023 Spring Festival travel rush, new data showed.

The figure was 38.9 percent higher than the same period of 2022, according to a work group on the travel rush under the State Council.

Some 6.02 million train trips and 27.35 million road trips were made Saturday, up 18.4 percent and 46.9 percent, respectively, from last year.

Saturday also saw a 24.9-percent increase in air passenger trips and a 7.4-percent hike in waterway trips.

The Spring Festival travel rush, also known as "chunyun", will last from Jan. 7 to Feb. 15 this year, during which many Chinese people will travel to reunite with their families for the Chinese Lunar New Year, which falls on Jan. 22 this year.