- Beijing transportation authorities take multiple measures to improve travel experience during the National Day holiday

With the 'National Day' holiday approaching, due to the combined effects of tourist flows and residents traveling, the city will迎来全年交通流量高峰. It is predicted that the daily number of people traveling by railway, civil aviation, interprovincial passenger transport, and highway self-driving in and out of Beijing will be about 4.4 million, an 8% increase compared to the same period in 2025. The peak of passenger flow will be on October 1, reaching 4.991 million, potentially setting a new record for single-day passenger flow during the National Day holiday.

In response to the high passenger flow and the prominent travel trends linking the Beijing surrounding areas, multiple departments including transportation, culture and tourism, traffic management, and local governments coordinated together to launch measures such as special shuttle bus lines connecting scenic spots, extended subway nighttime networks, and increased parking supply in key areas, providing thoughtful services for the travel of residents and tourists.

Passenger traffic operating at a high level

Highway self-driving becomes the main force

During the 2026 National Day holiday, the scale, distance, and intensity of intercity travel all increased significantly, forming a travel pattern characterized by 'long-distance cross-regional movement, short-term round trips around Beijing, and overlapping urban cultural and tourism gatherings.'

The ultra-long travel window may create new peaks in passenger flow, with a clear trend of staggered and advanced travel. During the Mid-Autumn and National Day holidays, the short interval between holidays prompts many citizens to take leave in advance to combine them into a long holiday. Travel demand for the long holiday is thus distributed earlier, prolonging the duration of passenger flow. Intercity transportation such as railways, civil aviation, inter-provincial bus services, and road self-driving has further increased. It is estimated that during the 2026 National Day holiday, the average daily number of passengers traveling in and out of Beijing will be about 4.4 million, an 8% increase compared with 2025. The peak passenger flow is on October 1, reaching 4.991 million, potentially setting a new record for single-day National Day holiday passenger flow.

During the holidays, there is strong demand for travel on highways, with an average daily traffic volume of 2.695 million vehicles, significantly higher than during the Mid-Autumn Festival. Road self-driving remains the main mode of travel for people entering and leaving Beijing, accounting for about 58% of the total traffic in and out of Beijing. Pressure on expressway radial routes and Beijing entry checkpoints has increased simultaneously.

The 'eight stations and two airports' experience concentrated large passenger flows, with significant pressure on nighttime dispersal. The city's 'eight stations and two airports' continue to see high passenger volumes, especially on September 30 and October 1, when outbound travel from Beijing clearly surged, and on October 6 and 7, large inbound passenger flows to Beijing are expected. About 60% of railway passengers are concentrated at Beijing South Station and Beijing West Station, creating significant nighttime transfer pressure; the demand for connections at Capital Airport and Daxing Airport is equally strong.

The tourist commercial areas overlap with large-scale events, facing pressure from multiple dispersed points and short-term concentration. In addition to popular attractions such as the Forbidden City, Bell and Drum Towers, Universal Studios, and the Olympic Park, sports events, exhibitions, and urban cultural activities are also increasing simultaneously. The surrounding roads of major event venues such as the National Tennis Center, Shougang Park, National Stadium, Wukesong, and Green Heart Forest Park experience significant periodic traffic pressure.

Highways experience a 'peak outbound, peak inbound' tidal flow at the beginning and end of the holiday. The outbound peak from Beijing is from the afternoon of September 30 to the morning of October 1, and the inbound peak to Beijing is from October 6 to 7. Significant congestion is expected at intersections of urban roads, ring roads, and radial roads, at provincial border exits, around popular tourist spots, and at toll stations during peak periods.

Among them, the evening peak on September 30 will be brought forward to 3 PM, reaching its peak around 4-6 PM; the pressure from 9-11 AM on October 1 will be the most prominent, reaching the peak of the National Day holiday outbound traffic from Beijing, with expressways such as Jingzang, Jingcheng, Jingli, Jingping, Jinggang'ao, and Jingkai serving as the main routes, while the West Sixth Ring and North Sixth Ring outer sections will experience significant pressure.

From October 2 to 5 (mid-holiday), daily traffic to and from nearby scenic spots will continue, with noticeable pressure on the northern and western sixth ring roads.

October 6th to 7th will be the peak period for returning to Beijing. The traffic volume is heavy at key sections of the main routes into the city. It is expected to remain at peak levels around 13:00-18:00 in the afternoon, and some checkpoints entering Beijing may experience concentrated traffic and slow queues.

Go all out

Ensure good service support for tourism travel

During the National Day holiday, to ensure smooth travel for citizens and tourists, multiple departments including transportation, culture and tourism, public security traffic management, and local governments coordinated to develop a joint support plan covering ground buses, rail transit, taxis, shared bicycles, and other areas, and launched various measures such as special shuttle lines from ground buses to scenic spots, extended night-time subway network operations, and increased parking supply in key areas.

During the holidays, the city operates 22 holiday sightseeing routes, serving nearly 40 scenic spots, building a three-dimensional public transport support system for core sightseeing, urban transfers, direct suburban access, and inter-city connectivity. Among them, Dongcheng and Xicheng Districts operate 7 routes, focusing on central city cultural and tourism landmarks such as the Central Axis, Chang'an Avenue, the Forbidden City, and Houhai, providing short-distance transfers and night sightseeing services; 2 special routes connecting all six urban districts link key cultural, tourism, and commercial areas in Haidian and Chaoyang, operating in regional loops to serve leisure travel needs around the Summer Palace and Chaoyang Park; 11 suburban routes start mostly from urban transportation hubs and go directly to popular nearby attractions such as the Great Wall, Gubei Water Town, wildlife parks, and mountain scenic areas, efficiently accommodating holiday travel flows from the city to the suburbs; simultaneously, 2 inter-city tourism routes connect scenic areas around Beijing, such as Jinshanling and Baisai Gorge in Yeshanpo, further deepening the integration of transport and tourism services in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei, comprehensively enhancing the convenience of holiday travel and the refinement of traffic support.

In terms of ground public transportation, increase the supply of bus services passing through transportation hubs, parks and scenic spots, popular commercial areas, and around large-scale public events, and adopt dispatch measures according to changes in passenger flow. Focus on strengthening the capacity guarantee of bus routes passing through central axis scenic spots such as Qianmen, the Forbidden City, the Temple of Heaven, and the Drum Tower, suburban scenic spots such as Xiangshan, the National Botanical Garden, and Badachu, as well as outskirts scenic spots such as Badaling, Mutianyu, and Tanzhesi. Strengthen the capacity guarantee of Route 1 in the Shougang Park area, ensure transportation services for popular scenic spots like the Summer Palace, the west bank of the Grand Canal, and Green Heart Forest Park, facilitating tourists to take buses for sightseeing. During sports events, concerts, and other cultural and sports activities, coordinate and optimize the operation of surrounding bus routes and arrange flexible bus capacity to better serve citizens' travel needs.

In terms of rail transit, for key lines in areas such as popular tourist attractions and commercial districts, efforts will be made to increase transport capacity, add temporary trains as needed, strengthen the operation and organization at stations with large passenger flows, and enhance on-site service guidance. During the dispersal phase of events such as the China Open, WTT, concerts, and music festivals, nearby subway stations will remain open, temporary special trains will be added as necessary to meet capacity demands to the maximum extent, and large passenger flows will be evacuated quickly.

In terms of parking, optimize motor vehicle parking guidance by providing citizens with dynamic and static parking information inquiries and guidance services through the MaaS platform (Gaode, Baidu Maps), covering 1,152,800 parking spaces in large and medium-sized registered commercial parking lots and roadside parking spaces citywide. Strengthen the operation and maintenance of shared bicycles in popular areas, regulate vehicle parking order, and meet the travel needs of the public.

In response to the heavy traffic pressure around popular parks, commercial areas, and sports and cultural activity venues, relying on a seat-based comprehensive coordination and dispatch mechanism, the transport, public security, cultural tourism, and key station area departments jointly carry out dynamic monitoring and consultation-based dispatch. They predict key periods and road sections for traffic in advance, activate a graded response mechanism as needed, timely guide large crowds and heavy traffic, and improve traffic operation efficiency.

8 subway lines delayed in operation

Ensure efficient night-time traffic flow

Continue to implement the 'one station, one airport, one strategy' approach for all 8 railway stations and 2 airports in the city, establishing a multi-department collaborative and multi-method coordinated three-dimensional support system to achieve efficient passenger flow for those arriving at and departing from Beijing.

The Municipal Transportation Committee has launched a peak transfer guarantee mode, formulating targeted night-time delay measures for key stations in accordance with the working principles of 'networked delays' and 'on-demand delays'.

Lines 2, 3, 4, 7, 10, 14, 19 of the subway and the Daxing Airport Line, a total of 8 subway lines, will operate in a loop network with extended hours during the peak return-to-Beijing period, until as late as 2:00 AM the next day, covering Beijing Railway Station, Beijing West Railway Station, Beijing South Railway Station, Chaoyang Station, Fengtai Station, and Beijing Daxing International Airport. Among them, at Beijing South Railway Station, Subway Line 4 and Line 14 will operate until 12:00 AM on September 30, October 1, and October 5, and until 2:00 AM on October 6 and 7; at Beijing West Railway Station, Subway Line 7 will operate until 12:00 AM on October 5 and until 2:00 AM on October 6 and 7; at Beijing Fengtai Station, Subway Line 10 will operate until 2:00 AM on October 6 and 7; at Beijing Chaoyang Station, Subway Line 3 will operate until 12:00 AM on September 30 and until 2:00 AM on October 5, 6, and 7; at Beijing Railway Station, Subway Line 2 will operate until 2:00 AM on October 6 and 7; at Daxing Airport, the Daxing Airport Line will operate northbound from Daxing Airport Station until 12:00 AM on September 30, October 6, and 7, and Line 19 will operate northbound from Caoqiao Station until 12:30 AM on October 6 and 7. During the extended network operation on the last two days of the holiday, transfers between lines will be available to facilitate long-distance transportation.

Ground public transportation is strengthening nighttime connections as a 'safety net,' enhancing the operational organization of 97 routes passing through 8 major railway stations, increasing the frequency of night bus departures, and arranging emergency shuttle buses.

In terms of taxis, organize taxi companies and online ride-hailing companies to establish key station 'priority' fleets, strengthening methods such as taxi 'circling', dispatching, and preferential order allocation by online ride-hailing platforms at key stations.

Regarding airport buses, prepare and secure transportation capacity in advance, reserve outsourced vehicles as a supplement, deploy them in a timely manner, and ensure airport backup transportation support.

During holidays, closely share passenger flow data with key station areas, railways, civil aviation, and other departments, strengthen joint consultations and assessments, promptly and dynamically grasp predictions of passenger flow arriving in Beijing at night, and provide precise service guarantees.

"A strategy for each road" to ensure smooth traffic on highways

During the National Day holiday, all toll roads within Beijing will be free of charge for passenger vehicles with seven seats or fewer (including seven seats). The free period is from 0:00 on October 1 to 24:00 on October 7, and the free passage points are based on the time the vehicle exits the highway.

In response to the heavy traffic pressure at the beginning and end of holidays on highways, the transportation department has strengthened traffic service support, monitored and managed the operation of important road sections and key regional road networks, formulated measures to alleviate congestion and ensure smooth traffic, fully opened toll lanes by lifting all barriers, ensured a 100% lane-opening rate during peak periods, and guaranteed the rapid passage of vehicles carrying key materials such as green channel goods. They have increased standby personnel, pre-positioned rescue equipment, strengthened inspections and patrols, and cooperated with traffic police to quickly clear and handle traffic accidents, thereby improving traffic efficiency.

To meet the charging needs of a large number of new energy vehicle owners, the city's transportation department has enhanced new energy supply services through cooperation and self-construction, and has reasonably deployed mobile charging equipment. At present, charging facilities have achieved full coverage in highway service areas within Beijing. A total of 632 charging piles and 848 charging parking spaces have been set up, including 100 ultra-fast charging spaces above 360 kilowatts. The proportion of charging parking spaces to small passenger car spaces has reached 24.23%.

September 30 'three peaks' overlap, evening peak comes earlier

It is recommended to travel during off-peak hours

Wednesday, September 30, is the last working day before the National Day holiday. The 'three peaks' of after-work commuting, pre-holiday activities, and outbound travel from Beijing are overlapping. The evening peak is expected to start as early as 3 PM and last more than twice as long as usual, with the road network under the greatest pressure from 4 PM to 6 PM. Major urban ring roads, connecting lines, the outbound directions of the Jingzang, Jingcheng, and Jinggang'ao Expressways, certain sections of the Sixth Ring Road, as well as areas around transport hubs and stations will see concentrated traffic.

The transportation department advises the general public to pay attention to traffic conditions, try to travel during off-peak hours, and avoid peak periods and road sections prone to slow traffic. When going to train stations and airports where passenger flow is high, please allow sufficient time to avoid missing trains or flights, and prioritize choosing rail transit.

During the National Day holiday travel, you can obtain traffic conditions through multiple channels such as the official WeChat and Weibo of 'Beijing Traffic', traffic radio, and navigation maps, plan your travel routes in advance, travel during off-peak hours, and travel safely.