Rail travel moving full speed ahead

Heilongjiang province has also launched a tourism train to draw Beijingers, while Hubei province is offering such routes to Xinjiang.

The number of train travelers who booked tours through Tuniu rose 113 percent in the first seven months of 2017, compared with the same period last year.

People ages 26-45 represent a major force and account for 40 percent of all rail travelers. Passengers over age 55 account for 20 percent, the report says.

The Yangtze River Delta has seen the most rail passengers. It's expected to receive 116 million this summer, 10 million more than during the season last year, the Shanghai Railway Bureau reports.

"The area has a developed economy, abounds in scenic spots and has a developed rail network, so travelers are willing to go," says Tuniu publicity manager Zhao Huan.

The region will run 76 special tourism trains to every corner of the country, which will add momentum to the train-travel trend, Zhao says.

Acclaimed mountain-and-water resorts and summer getaways are the most popular destinations.

The top destinations in or near the Yangtze Delta are Beijing; Yichang in Hubei; Shanghai; Changzhou in Jiangsu; Hangzhou, Huzhou and Ningbo in Zhejiang province; Shenzhen in Guangdong; and Chengde in Hebei province, the report says.

Long-distance favorites from the region are Guilin in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region; Xiamen in Fujian province; Sanya in Hainan; Qinhuangdao in Hebei; Lhasa in the Tibet autonomous region; Xi'an in Shaanxi province; Qingdao in Shandong province; Kunming in Yunnan province; Baishan in Jilin; and Lanzhou.

Travelers can also hop aboard trains that head abroad.

The rail line from Xi'an to Kazakhstan welcomed its first group tour on July 3.

Rails connecting China to Thailand and Myanmar are under construction.