China's Crowded Railways

China’s transportation infrastructure is stretched to its breaking point. The country has the highest number of passenger kilometers in the world, and the rate and distance of travel increases each year. Train lines routinely run at capacity, with passengers crammed into standing-room only cars. Each year, holiday travel periods set world records for the number of people traveling in a given period. In response, the country has built thousands of miles of new roads, railroads, and high capacity transportation infrastructure. This is a look inside the train system as passengers travel amid the crush of the crowd.

Crowds wait for their trains at the Shanghai Railway Station in Shanghai, China.
Crowds flood out from the Beijing West Railway Station in Beijing, China, during the national holiday's so-called Golden Week.  Official statistics state that the record numbers of travelers packed China's various modes of transportation during the Golden Week.
People wait for trains in a railway station in Nanjing, China.
Crowds flood out from the Beijing West Railway Station in Beijing, China, during the national holiday's so-called Golden Week.  Official statistics state that the record numbers of travelers packed China's various modes of transportation during the Golden Week.
A young boy and girl look out windows on a passenger train in Gansu Province, China.
People wait for trains in a railway station in Nanjing, China.
Travelers leave Shanghai, China, by train.
Passengers wait for a train to leave in Haerbin, Heilongjiang, China.
Travelers exit a train car in Hefei, Anhui, China.
Travelers sit and sleep in a crowded hard-seat passenger train car in Gansu Province, China.
People ride a sleeper train in Shandong Province, China.
Military police (People's Armed Police) look over a crowd waiting to buy train tickets at the Kunming Railway Station for the Spring Festival peak travel period in Kunming, Yunnan Province, China.
Passengers return to a train after a break in travel in Baoji, Sha'anxi, China.
Crowds leave the Nanjing Railway Station in Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.
People step out of a long-distance train to buy newspapers and food from vendors in Baoji, Shaanxi, China.
Travelers rest and sleep in a doorway between train cars in Gansu Province, China.
People sleep on the ground outside the railway station in Chongqing, China.
A train passenger sleeps in the Nanjing Railway Station in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, China, while waiting for his train to depart late in the night.
A railway employee stands near the door of a car on a passenger train in the Nanjing Railway Station in Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.
A passenger train arrives in Shanghai, China.
People ride a sleeper train in Shandong Province, China.
A man watches out the door window while riding a passenger train in Jiangsu Province, China.
Children sleep in seats in a passenger train in Hefei, Anhui, China.
A woman looks out of a train car as it arrives in Shanghai, China.