China's national railway network is expected to handle 13.3 million passenger trips Saturday, as the return flow of migrant workers starts to pick up in the 40-day Spring Festival travel rush started from Jan 14.
Known as "Chunyun" in Chinese, this travel period is often described as the world's largest human migration. During these 40 days surrounding the Chinese New Year holiday, or the Spring Festival period, hundreds of millions of people traverse the country for family reunions or sightseeing, all in celebration of China's most important holiday.
The number of migrant workers returning to work positions has seen a significant rise since Friday, as the week-long Spring Festival holiday which started on Jan. 28 has been halfway over.
The Beijing Railway Bureau expects to handle about 910,000 passenger trips on Saturday, an increase of 100,000 compared with Friday. In the Yangtze River Delta, passenger trips are projected to rise from 2.072 million on Friday to more than 2.3 million on Saturday.
To accommodate this surge, the railway authorities have increased train capacity and improved services to ensure smooth and safe travel for passengers.
The cold weather in north China continues to pose challenges to public transportation.
To prevent ice buildup on overhead power lines, railway authorities have been enhancing patrols and facility maintenance to ensure the safety of train operations.
Liu Weiping, deputy director of the Weihai power supply office in Shandong Province, explained,"In the past, we used manual cleaning methods. Now, with the introduction of the washing vehicle, we can clean more thoroughly with high-pressure hoses. We can simultaneously clean power facilities in both directions with those hoses."
Supervisors have been set on some high-demand trains to monitor onboard meal services, as food safety remains a key concern during the Spring Festival travel rush.
The supervisors can help ensure the safety and quality of food by inspecting food storage, replenishment, and meal preparation.
"We focus on controlling risks related to ingredient storage, food replenishment, and meal preparation, ensuring that passengers can get healthy and safe foods in their journey," said Li Ting, one of the supervisors.
By 9:00 Saturday, China's railway system had sold 420 million tickets for the Spring Festival season.
Railway authorities anticipate the first peak of return passenger flow is expected to occur around February 4, last day of the Spring Festival holiday.
Chinese railway expects 13.3 mln daily trips amid Spring Festival travel rush
