As the Spring Festival is just some one week away, Shanghai's four major railway stations -- the Shanghai Station, the Shanghai South Station, the Shanghai Hongqiao Station, and the Shanghai Songjiang Station -- have all begun operating overnight to manage the growing number of passenger arrivals and departures, with expanded services ensuring a smooth travel experience for the tens of thousands of passengers heading home for family reunion during the grandest annual holiday season.
At midnight on Tuesday, the Shanghai Hongqiao Railway Station, one of Asia's largest transport hubs, was already bustling with passengers. It marked the first night of overnight operations for Shanghai's railway stations during the 2025 Spring Festival travel rush.
Between midnight and 05:00, the station dispatched 60 additional trains to meet the surge in travelers as the holiday season is approaching.
"My train departs at 02:30 for Luoyang, Henan," said Mr. Huang, a passenger.
"I'm heading to Changsha, Hunan. The journey takes over five hours," said Mr. Chen, another passenger.
With the Spring Festival travel rush in full swing, the Yangtze River Delta region in east China -- comprising Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Anhui -- has seen a steady increase in passenger numbers.
On Monday alone, regional railways handled 3.003 million passenger departures. To meet this growing demand, the Shanghai Railway Station added 85 additional trains between midnight Monday and 05:00 on Tuesday. To further accommodate travelers, all four major Shanghai railway stations have shifted to 24-hour operations.
Waiting rooms are now open around the clock, equipped with additional charging stations and enhanced facilities for air conditioning, lighting, and drinking water. Some shops and key passenger service areas remain open throughout the night, while extra staff have been deployed to high-traffic areas to assist with navigation and ensure safety.
Yang Junhua, duty station manager of the Shanghai Hongqiao Station, said the station is preparing for the upcoming the "Minor New Year" holiday, which is celebrated a week before the Chinese New Year's Day. This holiday falls on January 24 in northern China and January 25 in southern China this year.
"As the 'Minor New Year' holiday approaches, we plan to increase the frequency of temporary night train dispatches. During the Spring Festival travel rush, some trains will depart in the early morning hours. We strongly advise passengers to double-check the station name and departure time before traveling to avoid missing their train due to going to a wrong station," Yang said.
The travel rush, known as 'chunyun' in Chinese, is considered the world's largest annual human migration coinciding with China's biggest traditional celebration, the Spring Festival marking the start of the Chinese New Year. Hundreds of millions of people return home for family reunions to spend the Chinese New Year holiday, which starts on January 28 and ends on February 4 this year.
This massive migration, which began on Jan 14 and continues until Feb 22, is expected to reach a staggering 9 billion passenger trips this year, with both rail and air travel set to hit record highs.
Shanghai's railway stations operate overnight train departures to handle Spring Festival rush
