BEIJING -- China's railway network is expected to handle approximately 80.5 million passenger trips during the five-day travel rush around Dragon Boat Festival holiday, the national railway operator said Friday.

The travel rush period kicked off Friday, a day ahead of the 3-day holiday, while Saturday is expected to witness the peak passenger flow for this period, with roughly 18.3 million railway trips predicted nationwide, said China State Railway Group Co., Ltd.

According to China's 12306 railway booking platform, popular destinations for this year's holiday include Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Hangzhou, Wuhan, Xi'an, Nanjing, Changsha and Zhengzhou.

Platform data also shows that the Beijing-Shanghai, Beijing-Jinan, Beijing-Taiyuan, Beijing-Nanjing and Shenzhen-Hong Kong routes are among the most popular during the period.

To cater to elevated travel needs, China's railways have increased capacity while also improving service quality to ensure better passenger experiences.

The Dragon Boat Festival, also known as Duanwu Festival, falls on Saturday this year.