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China pulls through first post-festival travel peak

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-02-08 13:03

BEIJING -- China's railways and roads underwent the first travel peak after the Lunar New Year festival, with larger passenger flows than the same period last year.

The railways carried more than 5 million travelers each day from January 31 to Friday, a record high in both duration and passenger number, said the Ministry of Railways (MOR) spokesman Wang Yongping on Saturday.

An urban-bound rural migrant worker arrives at Fuyang Railway Station in east China's Anhui province to board a train February 7, 2009 as he prepares to return to the city after celebrating the Chinese Lunar New Year in his rural hometown. [Xinhua/Li Jian]

Altogether 5.02 million took trains on Friday, increasing 170,000 year-on-year, MOR figures show.

Wang predicted lighter traffic on Saturday and Sunday and a second peak after Monday, when the Lantern Festival falls and wraps up the Chinese New Year celebration.

Urban-bound rural migrant workers flock to Fuyang Railway Station in east China's Anhui province February 7, 2009 as they prepare to return to cities after celebrating the Chinese Lunar New Year in their rural hometowns. [Xinhua/Li Jian]

About 55.8 million hit the road on Saturday, up 4 percent from a year earlier, said the Ministry of Transport spokesman He Jianzhong.

Related coverage:  Spring Festival 2009  Related readings:  6,600 scalpers seized during festival travel rush  Railways pull through busiest travel rush in Jan  China embraces post-holiday travel rush  Tourism: Holiday travel still strong  Grim weather to hamper Spring Festival travel rush

The number was down from previous days as most people had returned from family visits, but there were more college students and migrant workers making trips back to study or city work, said He.

He said 800,000 traveled by water on Saturday, 6 percent more than the same period last year.

China's Lunar New Year, or the Spring Festival, fell on January 26 this year. It's the country's most important traditional festival, resulting in the world's largest human migration in a year.