Over 610 mln to travel on roads, waterways during holiday

More than 610 million passengers are expected to travel on roads and waterways this National Day holiday, up 6 percent year on year, the Ministry of Transport (MOT) said Thursday.

A daily average of 87 million people will travel on China's roads and waterways during the week-long holiday from Oct. 1 to 7, said MOT spokesman Liang Xiao'an at a press conference.

Liang said a majority of travelers -- about 600 million -- will travel by road, up 6.1 percent compared to the same period last year.

Toll highways will be free for drivers of cars with no more than seven seats. This is the fifth time the toll-free policy will be in effect since it was first introduced last National Day holiday.

China's fast-developing express trains are likely to attract some traveling long distances in order to avoid traffic on highways, said Liang.

He said he expects a noticeable rise in traffic in and around major tourist destinations such as Beijing, Shanghai and Hangzhou.