BEIJING — Despite a retreat in daily passenger traffic from the peak on Oct 1, Chinese railways were still busy carrying passengers back to work and college as the weeklong holiday nears its end.

More than 12 million trips were made on Oct 5, up 12.3 percent year-on-year, China Railway Corporation (CRC) said. Major city clusters surrounding metropolises of Beijing and Shanghai and Guangdong province contributed more than 40 percent of the total.

CRC expects more to come on Oct 6 and said it has arranged 539 more trains to ensure smooth travel, as well as free shuttle buses and more ticket vending machines.

Railways nationwide will receive around 130 million passengers in the 11 days following Sept 28, according to an early forecast.

The National Day holiday has been extended to eight days this year to celebrate Mid-Autumn, or Moon Cake Festival, that falls on Oct 4.