BEIJING, April 30 -- Railway trips in China hit a record high on Saturday, the first day of the five-day May Day holiday, data from the national railway operator shows.

A total of 12,064 trains were in operation on Saturday, handling 19.66 million passenger trips, according to the China State Railway Group Co., Ltd. (China Railway).

Sunday is expected to see about 18 million railway passenger trips and 11,217 trains in operation, China Railway said.

The country has reported strong demand for travel during the May Day holiday, the first long holiday after the seven-day Spring Festival holiday, which was in late January.

This year's May Day holiday runs from April 29 to May 3.