BEIJING -- Chinese railway authorities are braced for the 45 million trips they expect to be taken by train during the May Day holiday travel rush from Friday to Monday.

This represents an increase of 9.7 percent year on year. Rail traffic will peak on Saturday, when 13.2 million trips will be made, up 11 percent from a year earlier, according to a statement posted on the website of the China Railway Corporation.

Popular tourist cities including Beijing, Harbin, Dalian, Hangzhou and Xiamen will see huge passenger flows during the holiday.

The statement said extra trains will be put into service to cope with demand.

Railway authorities have temporarily prolonged the operating time for online ticketing systems, and travelers can check vacant seat information and book tickets at www.12306.cn half an hour before departure time, according to the statement.