China experienced a moderate surge on the ninth day of the Spring Festival travel rush, with the number of cross-regional passenger trips estimated to surpass 230 million, data from transportation departments showed.
On Wednesday, railway passenger trips are estimated to reach 13.4 million, highway trips to surpass 210 million, waterway trips to reach 700,000, and civil aviation trips to hit 2.29 million, according to the data.
By 14:00 on Wednesday, 263 million train tickets for the Spring Festival travel rush had been sold, according to the train ticket booking platform 12306. To accommodate the surge in passengers ahead of the holiday, a total of 1,346 passenger trains have been added to run on Wednesday.
The roads are experiencing heavy passenger traffic, with an estimated 7.2 billion cross-regional driving trips to be made during the entire travel rush.
"We have made targeted plans to alleviate traffic congestion on different road sections. We have also strengthened safety checks on road sections that are vulnerable to low temperatures, rain, snow, and icy conditions. The priority is to ensure smooth traffic flow across the highway network, especially on key arterial roads," said Hua Lei, director of the road network management department of the Ministry of Transport.
In civil aviation, passenger traffic remains high on Wednesday, with airlines boosting capacity on key routes and during peak times.
As the travel rush starts, more vehicles are crossing the Qiongzhou Strait, which separates Guangdong Province in southern China from Hainan Island. Additional service points have been set up in the port waiting areas and along cross-strait roads to help passengers and drivers with inquiries and guidance.
The Spring Festival travel rush, known as Chunyun in Chinese, is the largest annual human migration in the world as tens of millions of Chinese people return to their hometowns to celebrate the Lunar New Year with their families. This year's Spring Festival travel rush runs from Jan 14 to Feb 22.
China sees moderate surge during Spring Festival travel rush
The Iranian government is focusing on public concerns and maintaining stable supplies of essential goods amid recent protests, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said in a televised interview on Sunday.
In the city of Karaj, northwest of the capital Tehran, daily life has largely continued as normal. A video filmed by a local resident on Sunday shows food stores open and grocery shelves fully stocked.
"This is the block near my home, and there are some food stores here. Daily life continues here. Last night we did not see many protests in Karaj. Right now the city is very safe. This is a grocery store close to my home. All the food is available; nothing is in shortage. Here are noodles and different types of beans. Here are dairy products, cheese, and yogurt. I also checked other grocery stores and didn't see any shortages. Everything is available," said local resident Ali Reza.
Iranian officials have described recent disturbances as acts orchestrated by the "enemy," including some carried out by well-trained and armed "terrorists." The incidents have caused casualties among security personnel and civilians, as well as property damage.
The Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council Ali Larijani has directed authorities to severely punish the "terrorists."
Meanwhile, Iran's police chief Ahmad-Reza Radan said on Sunday that the police had raised alert levels and arrested several leaders of the troublemakers during the operations on Saturday.
President Pezeshkian noted in the interview that the normal demands of the Iranian people are reasonable and justified, but they must realize that triggering riots and carrying out terrorist acts are the enemy's attempts to undermine the country. He urged the public to remain vigilant.
Also on Sunday, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf warned that Tehran would regard U.S. and Israeli bases and facilities in the Middle East as "legitimate targets" if Washington takes military action against Iran. His remarks followed media reports saying U.S. President Donald Trump is "seriously considering authorizing a strike" against Iran.
Iranian state media reported that at least 109 members of Iran's security forces have been killed in clashes since the protests began 14 days ago. Meanwhile, human rights groups based outside the country said the number of protesters killed has exceeded 200, though the figure could not be independently verified.
The protests initially erupted over a sharp depreciation of the rial and sweeping subsidy reforms. Iranian authorities have blamed the unrest on foreign-linked agents and sanctions imposed by the United States.
Iranian president says government focusing on ensuring supplies amid protests
