BEIJING -- China's railways handled about 48.09 million passenger trips during the three-day New Year holiday ending Saturday, according to data from China State Railway Group Co., Ltd.

The travel demand peaked on the inaugural day of the holiday, with around 18.56 million passenger trips recorded, the railway operator said on Sunday.

To accommodate the surge in holiday travel, the national railway network significantly enhanced its capacity by deploying additional trains and optimizing utilization of several newly operational high-speed rail sections.