Chinese rolls out measures to ensure smooth Spring Festival travel rush

China's transport authorities have rolled out measures ahead of the 2026 Spring Festival travel rush, as the country expects a record 9.50 billion cross-regional passenger trips to be made.

The 40-day travel season this year will start on Monday and last until March 13.

Each year during the period, millions of people working, studying or living away from their hometowns return for the Spring Festival, China's most important traditional holiday, forming the world's largest annual human migration.

It is not just a celebration of family reunions but also a stress test for the country's vast transport system and governance capacity.

Self-driving trips are expected to remain dominant, accounting for roughly 80 percent of journeys, while railway and civil aviation passenger volumes are forecast to reach 540 million and 95 million, respectively.

The peak travel day is expected to fall on February 13, several days ahead of the Chinese Lunar New Year.

As of 11:00 Saturday, over 51 million train tickets have been sold since pre-sales began on January 19 for the travel rush period.

Authorities say extensive measures are in place to ensure smoother travel throughout the holiday period.

Peak-day train services are expected to exceed 14,000, a 5.3 percent increase in seating compared with last year. Both high-speed and conventional trains will operate to ensure that even passengers traveling to and from rural communities can reach their destinations.

East China's Fujian Province has added multiple trains and upgraded smart train services, while Shanghai Railway is anticipating a record high of nearly 16.8 million passenger trips this year, a yearly increase of 5.78 percent.

In Yunnan Province of south China, Honghe Railway Station now offers free charging points and defibrillators, with staff receiving first-aid training.

Airlines in Hainan, an island province unreachable by train except by railway ferry, have increased their capacity in anticipation of a travel boom driven by a new duty-free policy after island-wide special customs operations were implemented last December.

China has extended its official Lunar New Year holiday week to nine days for the first time, from Feb 15 to 23.

Chinese rolls out measures to ensure smooth Spring Festival travel rush

Cities of Shanghai and Guangzhou launched a series of night-time shows these days to fill both cities with a strong festive atmosphere with the approach of the upcoming Chinese New Year, or Spring Festival, which falls on Feb 17 this year.

In Shanghai's Lujiazui area, a spectacular light show was staged to offer people a vivid visual experience on Saturday. Along the banks of the Huangpu River, traditional folk performances, such as molten iron fireworks, added festive atmosphere for the upcoming holiday. Besides, cultural activities were also held in the Shanghai Library to mark the Chinese New Year, including a traditional wedding ceremony and an intangible cultural heritage market.

Just a day earlier, Guangzhou City, south China's Guangdong Province, kicked off its annual lantern show in the Yuexiu Park with a 20-meter-tall lion head installed over the main gate. The lantern show sets up 85 groups of distinctive lantern displays scattered throughout the 10 major tourist areas.

As the upcoming Chinese New Year will be the Year of Horse, the show embraces a group of lanterns featuring horses galloping over a lake inside the park.

"[The lantern show] is really fun, and I highly recommend everyone come, because each place has its own culture that is worth experiencing," said a local.

This year's Guangzhou Spring Festival lantern show takes Yuexiu Park as its main venue and started simultaneously with seven other parks as sub-venues. The citywide celebration is scheduled to run through March 8.

Shanghai, Guangzhou light up for upcoming Spring Festival with light, lantern shows