CNR Chengdu, September 30 (Reporters Wang Ying, Tang Shimin, Chang Sirong) — With the National Day holiday approaching, the Sichuan Provincial Department of Transportation released the "2026 National Day Holiday Sichuan Province Comprehensive Transportation Analysis and Forecast Report." According to comprehensive assessments, influenced by the long holiday effect and the policy of free passage for small passenger vehicles, travel demand across the province is strong. Transportation will exhibit operational characteristics such as peak departures on the first day, high-level network operation, distinct tourism features, and active green travel. Highway traffic flow will remain above 4 million vehicles per day for seven consecutive days. The total passenger volume of integrated transportation by air, rail, public transport, and waterways is expected to remain stable with slight growth. The golden autumn scenery of western Sichuan is becoming an important driving force for cultural and tourism travel across the province.

The report predicts that during the 2026 National Day holiday, the total passenger volume of the province's 'air, rail, road, and water' integrated transportation is expected to reach 20.307 million, a year-on-year increase of 3.0%. Among them, civil aviation passenger volume is 2.403 million, up 5.2% year-on-year; railway passenger volume is 8.065 million, up 4.7% year-on-year; road passenger volume is 9.254 million, up 0.1% year-on-year; waterway passenger volume is 585,000, increasing sharply by 20.7% year-on-year, with the growth in waterway tourism leading all types of passenger transport. Passenger volume of Chengdu urban public transportation is expected to reach 66.06 million, a year-on-year increase of 2.6%.

In terms of road travel, the province's total traffic volume on highways during the holiday is expected to reach 30.274 million vehicle trips, a year-on-year decrease of 2.1%. However, the popularity of new energy vehicles is high, with traffic of new energy vehicles increasing by 15.0% compared to the National Day in 2025. The average daily traffic volume on ordinary national and provincial main roads is about 10,029 vehicles, a year-on-year increase of 8.8%. Inter-provincial highway traffic reaches 3.066 million vehicle trips, a slight year-on-year increase of 1.2%, with cross-province traffic in the Sichuan-Chongqing direction ranking first.

From the perspective of temporal patterns, the provincial highway network shows characteristics of a surge on the first day and dual peaks at the beginning and end. Highway traffic is expected to peak from 11:00 to 12:00 on October 1, with daily travel peaks from 10:00 to 12:00 and 16:00 to 18:00. On September 30, due to the combination of the pre-holiday evening rush, traffic increases from 16:00 to 20:00, with light congestion occurring on certain sections. Comprehensive passenger volume generally shows a pattern of 'high at the beginning and end, low in the middle,' with outbound trips concentrated on the first day of the holiday and return trips concentrated on October 6 and 7. Ordinary national and provincial trunk roads generally show a pattern of 'high at the beginning, low at the end,' with traffic peaking on October 1, slightly decreasing on October 2, slightly rising from October 3 to 4, and then decreasing day by day afterwards.

The popularity of cultural and tourism consumption will deeply influence holiday travel patterns. Coinciding with the golden autumn viewing season, mid-to-long distance cross-regional travel within the province and nearby leisure trips are occurring simultaneously. The autumn scenery in western Sichuan is particularly attractive, with Jiuzhaigou, Bipenggou, Daocheng Yading, Xinduqiao, and other scenic areas driving an increase in travel activity in Aba, Garze, Ya'an, and other prefectures/cities; Chengdu, Leshan, Deyang, Meishan, and Zigong are also key domestic travel hotspots. Travel outside the province mainly flows to Chongqing, Beijing, Shanghai, Guangdong, Yunnan, Zhejiang, Shaanxi, and other locations. Jiuzhaigou, Siguniang Mountain, Emei Mountain – Leshan Giant Buddha, Sanxingdui Museum, Langzhong Ancient City, and other sites are major popular attractions, with some areas leveraging ticket discounts and sports events to generate a batch of emerging cultural and tourism hotspots.

In terms of spatial distribution, high-speed traffic is mainly concentrated in Chengdu and its surrounding areas, southern Sichuan, and densely populated areas in eastern Sichuan. Chengdu, Yibin, Luzhou, Leshan, and Nanchong rank among the top cities and prefectures in traffic volume. The traffic pressure is relatively high on the Chengdu ring and radial lines, as well as on some sections in southern Sichuan. The total flow on the Chengdu-Chongqing Expressway corridor during the holiday is expected to reach 554,000 vehicle trips, with the outbound peak on October 1 and the return sub-peak on October 6.

In terms of railways, the Xi'an–Chengdu High-Speed Railway, Chengdu–Chongqing High-Speed Railway, Chengdu–Suining–Chongqing Railway, Chengdu–Guiyang High-Speed Railway, and Chengdu–Kunming Railway are key lines for entering and leaving Sichuan; popular civil aviation routes are concentrated on flights between Chengdu and Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Hangzhou, Lhasa, and other cities. Passenger traffic by water shows a 'high in the middle, low at both ends' pattern, peaking on October 4, with passenger flows concentrated in Leshan, Liangshan, Chengdu, and other areas, and significant pressure at docks such as the Leshan Giant Buddha Scenic Area Dock and Xichang Moonlight Town Dock.

The report also outlines key road sections, passenger stations, and waterway ports and ferry terminals that are prone to congestion, accidents, and construction restrictions during holidays. In the expressway network, sections such as the Chengya and Chengmian segments of the Jingkun Expressway, the Chengguan section of the Rongchang Expressway, and the Chengdu Ring Expressway are not only routes with concentrated traffic, new energy vehicles, and trucks, but also areas prone to congestion; some locations on the G42 Huyu Expressway and G75 Lanhai Expressway have construction restrictions, with corresponding detour plans already announced. On ordinary national and provincial highways, mountain sections leading to popular scenic spots in western Sichuan, such as G318, G350, and G248, have high traffic volumes, with some points affected by water damage or construction, posing a higher risk of accidents. The charging facilities at service areas such as Xinjin, Wengong, and Xin'an have high utilization rates during holidays, reminding new energy vehicle owners to reasonably plan their refueling and charging times.

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