Some 53.2 million people hit the roads in China on Wednesday, the third day of the "golden week", said a Ministry of Transport (MOT) spokesman.

Although that figure was an increase of 5.1 percent year-on-year, it was 4.2 percent lower than Tuesday's 55.5 million, because most travelers began their journey in the first two days of the holiday, he said.

The "golden week" National Day holiday this year runs from Sept. 29 to Oct. 5.

The spokesman said 740,000 medium-sized and large vehicles were used to move travelers around the country on Wednesday, compared with Tuesday's 760,000 vehicles.

The transportation situation nationwide remained stable on Wednesday, and there were no serious traffic accidents.

Trains transported 5.83 million people on Tuesday, up 19.6 percent from a year earlier, according to the Ministry of Railways.

Some 920,000 people traveled by water on Wednesday, up 1.1 percent over the same day last year, said the MOT.

(Xinhua News Agency October 2, 2008)