BEIJING -- The eight-day May Day holiday travel rush will last from April 29 to May 6, with peak passenger flows expected on May 1, China State Railway Group Co., Ltd. (China Railway) said on Tuesday.

Tickets for the first day of the holiday travel period will go on sale from Tuesday, according to China Railway.

During this year's May Day holiday, strong travel demand for family visit, tourism and spring outing purposes is anticipated to drive positive growth in rail passenger volumes, it said.

Railways nationwide will operate under a peak schedule during the period, with plans for over 12,000 passenger trains to operate each day on average.

To meet the high demand, China Railway will boost its transport capacity by adding passenger trains, operating overnight high-speed trains, and attaching additional carriages to already scheduled trains, it said.