Millions of holiday makers across China are heading back to their workplaces or homes this weekend as the official nine-day Spring Festival holiday draws to a close on Monday, with transportation authorities expecting the number of domestic passenger trips to hit its peak on Sunday during the 40-day Spring Festival travel rush.
The Spring Festival travel rush, also known as "chunyun," amounts to the world's largest annual human migration as millions embark on journeys across the nation to reunite with loved ones to celebrate the arrival of the Chinese New Year.
The Spring Festival in the start of the Chinese New Year fell on Feb 17 this year. The official holiday lasts nine days from Feb 15 to 23, with the travel rush period lasting through March 13.
From Tuesday to Saturday, more than 1.6 billion inter-regional passenger trips were made across China, averaging 320 million trips per day, a year-on-year increase of over 11 percent.
The country's railway system is expected to handle 17.93 million passenger trips, with 2,203 additional passenger trains scheduled for Sunday.
Highway traffic is projected to surpass 71 million vehicle trips on Sunday, marking a peak during the holiday, according to the Ministry of Public Security's Traffic Safety Research Center.
Also on Sunday, the country's waterway transport system is expected to handle 1.42 million passenger trips.
Multiple measures, such as adding special trains for migrant workers and extending subway operating hours, have been adopted to ensure safety and convenience on the return journey.
Domestic passenger trips hit peak as Spring Festival holiday ends
Domestic passenger trips hit peak as Spring Festival holiday ends
