Passengers wait to board a train at the Hangzhou East Railway Station in Zhejiang province, July 1. On this day, the summer travel rush began and is expected to last for 62 days as summer vacation approaches. [Photo/IC]

BEIJING - Chinese railways have so far carried a record number of passengers during the summer peak travel period that started in July, the China Railway Corporation (CRC) said on Saturday.

Corporation data showed that 226.5 million trips were made last month, up 12.3 percent year on year. The heaviest single-day passenger flow came on July 12, which saw more than 8.19 million passengers making train trips.

The CRC has added new trains to cope with the increasing number of passengers.

The two-month summer travel peak period will end on Aug 31. The CRC forecast university students who have ended their summer holidays will start returning to schools this month, and they will contribute to the major passenger flow.