13.3 million railway trips expected on 27th day of Spring Festival travel rush

China's railway network is predicted to handle 13.3 million passenger trips on Sunday, the 27th day of the Spring Festival travel rush, as the transportation department has taken measures to respond to low temperatures, rain and snow.

The Spring Festival, China's biggest traditional holiday, fell on Jan 29 this year. The Spring Festival travel rush, known for its high transportation demand as millions return home for family reunions, runs from Jan 14 to Feb 22, lasting for 40 days.

In response to the cold wave and snow, the Zhengzhou Bureau and Harbin Bureau of China Railway deployed people to clean ice and snow at key areas including passenger channels, station entrances and exits.

At Changchun West Railway Station in northeast China, the temperature on the platform dropped to minus 20 degrees Celsius. The staff members of the railway station opened the turnstiles at the appropriate time to reduce passengers' waiting time outdoor, and made sure to keep the temperature above 26 degrees Celsius inside the rail carriages.

On Sunday, 915 additional trains are scheduled to accommodate the surge in return trips.

"Starting from the fifth day of the Chinese New Year, trains have been fully packed, mostly with workers returning to their jobs. Based on situation in previous years, the concentrated flow of passengers is expected to last till the 15th day of the Chinese New Year," said Wang Feng, conductor of G1212 train from Changchun to Shanghai.

As cold snap bites, icy patches are developing rapidly in Liaodong Bay of the Bohai Sea, with the frozen area covering 7,808 square kilometers. In Yingkou Port of northeast China's Liaoning Province, local maritime authorities have dispatched powerful icebreakers to ensure the safe sailing and berth of vessels.

According to the Ministry of Transport, the snow weather and icy roads have impacted 28 highway sections in four provinces, Heilongjiang, Guizhou, Yunnan, and Shaanxi, with the closure of 17 sections of main roads and 42 toll stations.

A total of 18,737 flights are scheduled across the country on Sunday.

In the first 26 days of the Spring Festival travel rush, China's civil aviation sector has operated an average of 18,682 flights per day, up 8.09 percent year on year.

13.3 million railway trips expected on 27th day of Spring Festival travel rush

A total of 297.665 million inter-regional passenger trips nationwide were recorded on Saturday, the second day of the five-day May Day holiday this year, transport authorities said on Sunday.

The figure represents a 1.7 percent increase from the same day last year and a 11.8 percent decline from Friday, the first day of the break.

Railway passenger trips rose 1.2 percent from a year ago to 19.781 million, 20.4 percent down the previous day and up 1.2 percent year on year.

A total of 273.86 million road trips were reported on the day, an increase of 1.8 percent year on year, and 11.2 percent less from the previous day.

Among them, commercial passenger trips reached 39.40 million, an increase of 14.9 percent year on year, while non-commercial passenger trips reached 234.46 million, roughly the same as the previous year.

The waterways handled 2.096 million trips, marking a 1.3 percent decline year on year.

The civil aviation passenger trips stood at 1.928 million, down 11 percent from the previous year.

China's postal sector collected 474 million parcels, up 6.3 percent from the previous day, and delivered 493 million parcels, down 4.6 percent from the previous day.

The May Day holiday, running from May 1 to 5, is typically one of the busiest travel periods of the year. During this time, millions of Chinese passengers hit the road to visit family or go traveling.

Holiday Day 2 sees 297.665 mln passenger trips