China's transportation networks handled over 270 million cross-region passenger trips on Friday, the 11th day of the 40-day-long Spring Festival travel rush.
The travel rush, known as 'chunyun', is considered the world's largest annual human migration and coincides with China's biggest traditional celebration, the Spring Festival, a time when hundreds of millions of people return home for family reunions to celebrate the Chinese New Year, which falls on Jan. 29 this year.
On Friday, the country's railway network transported 14.2 million passengers, with 2,051 trains being added to accommodate the surging demand.
The official online ticketing platform 12306 had sold a total of 302 million train tickets for the Spring Festival travel season as of 13:00 Friday.
This year's Spring Festival travel rush features a variety of special trains designed to enrich the travel experience for passengers. For instance, on Train No. 4187 from Qiqihar City, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province to Manzhouli City in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, dedicated areas have been set up for candy, snacks, vegetables, toys, and traditional goods, making it easier for residents from remote areas to purchase holiday items.
In addition to enhanced services, many trains have organized special train Spring Festival galas. On the "Jinggangshan" high-speed train D136 from east China's Nanchang City to Beijing, known for its dedication to preserving and promoting revolutionary history, train attendants have prepared a range of entertaining programs, including song and dance performances, allowing passengers to learn about history during their journey.
On trains traveling between Urumqi and Hotan in Xinjiang, a "Tianshan Snow Lotus" Spring Festival gala has been organized, where train attendants performed traditional ethnic dances, immersing travelers in the festive atmosphere.
Meanwhile, road travel surpassed 250 million trips on Friday, witnessing a pre-holiday surge.
In the aviation sector there were 2.39 million air passenger trips and 19,421 flights on Friday. During the first 10 days of the Spring Festival travel rush (from January 14 to 23), civil aviation transported an average of 2.2414 million passenger trips per day, marking an 8.46 percent increase from 2024.
On the waterways, there were 680,000 passenger trips on Friday.
The term 'chunyun' first appeared in media in 1954. Following China's reform and opening-up, large-scale population movements emerged, with migrant workers, students, family visitors, and tourists converging during this period, making 'chunyun' a major societal focus.
By 2025, 'chunyun' has undergone further evolution, particularly in travel patterns.
According to the Ministry of Transport, these changes are twofold. While family visits remain the primary reason for travel, tourism's share is steadily increasing. At the same time, the composition of transportation methods has shifted. With rapid economic and social development, car ownership has surged, leading to private vehicles becoming the dominant mode of transport.
Projections indicate that self-driven trips will reach an estimated 7.2 billion during this year's Spring Festival travel rush, accounting for approximately 80 percent of all Spring Festival travel rush.
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 passenger trips set to hit record highs.
China sees over 270 mln passenger trips on 11th day of Spring Festival
