Train stations and airports across China saw the biggest peak in travelers yesterday ahead of the Lunar New Year, as millions of people returned home to spend the holidays with their families in an annual migration that is expected to be a record.
The Lunar New Year, the Year of the Snake, begins on Wednesday.
The Chinese enjoy eight consecutive public holidays, an opportunity to share festive meals with family, attend traditional performances or set off firecrackers and fireworks.
Photo: Bloomberg
At Beijing West Station, an Agence France-Presse journalist yesterday saw thousands of travelers wrapped up in parkas, many wearing face masks to avoid catching anything on packed trains, dragging their suitcases through the hallways before boarding the carriages.
During the traditional 40-day period that runs before, during and after the holidays, about 9 billion interprovincial passenger trips, on all forms of transport combined, are expected to be made, the official Xinhua news agency reported.
Train and air travel are expected to “hit record highs” during this year’s migration, it said.
The Chinese Ministry of Transport said it expects 510 million train trips and 90 million air trips during the period.
The national railway company, which has added thousands of trains to meet demand, said yesterday was “the main peak” at stations before the holidays.
It said it used data from ticket sales and waiting lists to predict and regulate supply.
With many people working and studying in provinces other than their own because of better opportunities, there is a large population migration around the New Year holiday.
Many factories have already closed for the holiday, with such workers traditionally returning home earlier than the rest of the population.
While train travel was still an epic journey even 10 years ago, sometimes lasting several days, the rapid development of an efficient and comfortable high-speed network has made travel much simpler.
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