BEIJING, July 23 -- China has seen 307 million railway passenger trips between July 1, the start of the summer travel rush, and July 22, data from the China State Railway Group Co., Ltd. showed Tuesday.

The company said the figure marks an increase of 6.5 percent from the same period last year. It added that the average daily number of railway passenger trips reached nearly 13.98 million in the first 22 days of July.

The demand for student travel during summer vacation, tourism and family visits is strong, keeping railway passenger flow at a high level, according to the company.

It has formulated a summer passenger transportation plan, increased transportation capacity, implemented measures to facilitate and benefit the passengers, and made efforts to provide reliable guarantees for safe, orderly passenger travel and stable economic operation.

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 the season. This year's summer travel rush lasts from July 1 to August 31.