Storyline: China's railway system handled over 456 million passenger trips from July 1 to August 1 during this year's summer travel rush, up 3.6 percent year on year, according to its operator. The passenger volume growth reflects continuous improvements in rail transport capacity. Since implementing a new national railway operating plan on July 1, China's railway network has maintained a daily average of 11,416 passenger trains, representing a 9.3 percent year-on-year increase, said China State Railway Group Co., Ltd. During the peak summer travel period, railways have effectively responded to robust tourism demand by operating specialized services including parent-child excursions, educational tours, red tourism routes, and senior-friendly "silver-haired" trains. In July alone, the national railway system organized 266 customized tourist trains. China's railway services achieved new upgrades this summer, with 19 major stations nationwide rolling out innovative luggage handling services. "The growth in passenger traffic during the summer travel rush demonstrates how China's railway system has effectively stimulated market demand through consumer-oriented service innovations, while also showcasing new progress in optimizing transportation structure," said Lu Chengyun, a researcher at the Institute of Transportation Research under the National Development and Reform Commission. The summer travel rush is usually a busy season for the railway network as college students return home and families travel. This year's summer travel rush will last for 62 days from July 1 to Aug 31. Shotlist: China - Recent: 1. Aerial shots of train running Nanchang City, Jiangxi Province, east China - Recent: 2. Various of passengers on platform Chongqing Municipality, southwest China - Recent: 3. Aerial shot of Chongqing East Railway Station 4. Passengers on platform 5. Train leaving China - Recent: 6. Engine driver driving train 7. Aerial shot of train running Mohe City, Heilongjiang Province, northeast China - Recent: 8. Aerial shot of Mohe Railway Station 9. Passengers China - Recent: 10. Aerial shot of train running 11. Passengers on platform 12. Train leaving 13. Passengers inside of carriage 14. Aerial shot of train running 15. Passenger taking photo 16. Various of passengers at railway station 17. Various of passengers at platform 18. Various of passengers using luggage storage box Beijing, China - Recent: 19. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Lu Chengyun, researcher, Institute of Transportation Research, National Development and Reform Commission (starting with shot 18/ending with shots 20-21): "The growth in passenger traffic during the summer travel rush demonstrates how China's railway system has effectively stimulated market demand through consumer-oriented service innovations, while also showcasing new progress in optimizing transportation structure." China - Recent: 20. Various of passengers at railway station, on platform 21. Aerial shots of train running. [Restrictions : No access Chinese mainland]