China's return travel volume surges as Spring Festival holiday winds down

As the Spring Festival holiday in China comes to a close, millions of travelers are hitting the roads and rails, with return travel volumes surging and traffic remaining stable.

China's railway system is expected to carry over 14.5 million passengers on Sunday, the 20th day of the 2025 Spring Festival travel rush, with an additional 1,501 trains added to the schedule to meet the demand, according to the China State Railway Group Co.

The Spring Festival travel rush, known as "Chunyun," started on Jan 14 this year and will last for 40 days.

The national railway system carried a total of 13.38 million passenger trips on Saturday, and is expecting its first major surge in return passenger traffic around Feb 4, the final day of the Spring Festival holiday.

The inter-regional passenger trips were expected to exceed 300 million, among which the highway traffic accounted for 290 million, with the traffic volume on major highways slightly increasing compared to the figure the day before, according to the traffic management bureau of China's Ministry of Public Security.

Though the holiday comes to an end, the bureau predicts that the traffic volume on roads around cities and scenic spots will remain high.

China's return travel volume surges as Spring Festival holiday winds down

China's return travel volume surges as Spring Festival holiday winds down

China's return travel volume surges as Spring Festival holiday winds down

China's return travel volume surges as Spring Festival holiday winds down

China's return travel volume surges as Spring Festival holiday winds down

China's return travel volume surges as Spring Festival holiday winds down

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