BEIJING, Feb. 5 (Xinhua) -- China's railways transported about 77.34 million passengers during the fifteen days (Jan. 19 to Feb. 2) before the Spring Festival, the Ministry of Railways said.

The figure was about 9.5 percent higher than the same period last year and set a new record, according to a report posted on the ministry's website.

There were an average of 5.16 million passengers per day, up 448,000 from the same period last year. On Jan. 29, passengers topped 5.78 million, setting a new record for daily transportation before the Spring Festival, the report said.

In the fifteen days before the festival, about 4.80 million passengers left Beijing, 8.39 million left Guangzhou and 5.69 million left Shanghai, while year-on-year growth and those leaving Guangzhou rose the most, up 15 percent year on year, said the report.

The ministry said challenges still exist as more snow and rain will hit southern China after the Spring Festival, when passengers are returning.

China's busy Spring Festival transportation season runs for 40 days and is calculated in two phases: 15 days before the Spring Festival and 25 days after the Spring Festival, the report explained.