China's transportation networks are handling growing travelers by train, air, and highway as the Year of the Horse draws close.
The country is expected to see a total of 15.35 million railway trips on Saturday, three days before the Spring Festival that falls on February 17 this year.
Railway authorities have increased transport capacity among popular tourist cities and collaborated with local tourist destinations to launch new services including luggage handling, storage, and transportation.
"We have set up self-service lockers for passengers, and simultaneously launched online reservation channels, bringing services directly to scenic spots. This allows passengers to travel light after getting off the train," said Wang Mengli, a staff member of Shangrao Station of China Railway Nanchang Group.
In terms of civil aviation, approximately 19,947 flights are expected to operate on Saturday, handling 2.45 million passenger trips, with a significant portion of family and group tours.
The southernmost island province of Hainan has also seen a peak in inbound arrivals. Officials of Sanya Phoenix International Airport said the airport has seen efficient and smooth passenger arrivals and departures with the new Terminal 3 coming into operation.
"The integrated operation of T1, T2, and T3 terminals has effectively improved passenger capacity and flight guarantee, ensuring efficient arrivals and departures for passengers," said Duan Jianfeng, vice president of the airport.
The national expressways are expected to handle 35.1 million vehicle trips on Saturday, with private car travels accounting for nearly 80 percent of the total.
The Spring Festival, also known as the Chinese New Year, is China's most important annual holiday and sees hundreds of millions of people from across the country embark on the long journey home for all-important family reunions, putting much strain on the country's railway and road transportation networks.
The annual travel surge, known as "chunyun" and often described as the world's largest human migration, is expected to generate a record 9.5 billion inter-regional passenger trips during the 40-day period which is running from Feb 2 to March 13 this year.
Travelers remain growing before Chinese New Year
