With more than 840 million cross-regional trips made over the three-day Qingming holiday, which ran from Saturday to Monday, China's transport system has entered a peak travel period marked by increasingly integrated and seamless services.

Total cross-regional passenger trips over the holiday reached 842 million, up 5.6 percent year-on-year, according to the Ministry of Transport on Tuesday.

Railway passenger volume rose 8.4 percent to 57.7 million trips, while road travel continues to dominate overall mobility.

The surge has been fueled in part by overlapping school spring breaks in several regions, driving family-oriented travel and short-distance tourism.

On the first day alone, highway traffic exceeded 62.67 million vehicle trips, including more than 14 million new energy vehicles, reflecting robust demand for self-driving travel and related consumption.

Behind the strong travel momentum, a broader transformation in how people move is taking shape.

Authorities are promoting a model of "one booking, one payment and seamless travel", supported by the rapid expansion of air-rail and landair intermodal services.

Transport Minister Liu Wei said efforts have been enhanced this year to improve travel convenience by advancing such integrated services and streamlining passenger journeys.

So far, more than 80 hub cities and over 2,000 routes nationwide have enabled air-rail connections, with rail access available at 81 percent of major airports.

During this year's Spring Festival travel rush, which ended last month, dozens of hubs piloted mutual recognition of security checks between rail and urban transit systems, significantly reducing transfer times.

For frequent traveler Wang, the improvements have already changed his routine.

"I usually take the subway to Beijing West Railway Station after work on Fridays, then transfer directly to a train heading to Shijiazhuang Zhengding International Airport," he said. "If I book early, I can get a ticket to Chongqing for under 500 yuan ($73). It's often just as fast as going to Beijing's airports during rush hour, but much cheaper."

At major transport hubs, efforts are underway to further streamline transfers and move more services forward.

Cui Lin, deputy Party secretary of Beijing West Railway Station, said the station operates 24 daily train services directly linking to Beijing Daxing International Airport.

"Nearly 1,000 passengers transfer from high-speed rail to flights at Daxing airport via our station each day," she said. "By moving check-in services forward, we aim to create a more convenient 'one-stop' air-rail travel experience."

Airlines are also deepening integration with rail services.

Cai Yingzhu, general manager of marketing and sales at China Eastern Airlines' Beijing branch, said passengers can now complete check-in procedures at the railway station using the airline's digital terminal system.

"In the future, travelers will be able to check in their luggage at Beijing West Railway Station and collect it directly at their final destination after landing," Cai said. "This will significantly improve efficiency."

She added that passengers can already book combined "flight +high-speed rail" tickets in one step via the airline's platform, with the system automatically matching optimal connections.

"What used to require multiple searches and separate bookings can now be done in a single transaction," she said. "For families, offline services also offer more flexible seat arrangements."