On the eve of the annual Lunar New Year, China entered its peak travel season on Friday (February 9), with travelers from across the country squeezing onto trains and planes to return home to reunite with their families.
China has increased transport capacity as severe weather threatens millions of returning travelers. According to official media reports, on February 7, railways across the country opened 1,873 additional passenger trains, and the number of additional trains hit a new high.
Rain, snow and freezing conditions paralyzed train services earlier this week, knocking out power and leaving some passengers stranded on frigid trains for hours.
Some provinces are rushing to upgrade emergency measures to clear the snow that has blocked hundreds of highways. They are also busy clearing ice from power lines and train tracks and de-icing airplanes and airport runways.
Passenger traffic far exceeded that of 2019
During the world’s busiest travel period, China’s railways carried 13.1 million passengers on Wednesday alone.According to official media reports, this isSpring FestivalFor the first time since then, the number of passengers exceeded 13 million in a single day.
according toShanghaiThe official media “The Paper” reported that on Friday, various stores in ShanghaiTRAIN STATIONIt is expected to welcome 475,000 passengers, an increase of 61.7% over the same period in 2019.
The newspaper said that in the two weeks before the Spring Festival travel rush, Shanghai’s railway network is expected to carry 7.1709 million passengers, exceeding the total in the same period in 2019.
According to reports, as of February 7, China’s national railways during the Spring Festival Transport had carried a total of 156 million passengers, with an average of more than 12 million passengers per day, a year-on-year increase of 62.9%.
eight days longSpring FestivalThe holiday officially begins on Saturday, but many travelers choose to go home early for New Year’s Eve. 2023 is the first year that China will completely cancel the dynamic zero epidemic prevention policy.
The worst severe weather in years in central and southern China during this year’s Lunar New Year travel season is expected to affect the return journeys of hundreds of millions of people.
In 2008, unusually cold weather and ice storms occurred in central and southern China, killing at least 129 people. Traffic was chaotic and millions of people were without power or water, making it difficult to get home.
Chinese forecasters predict temperatures in most areas will be in line with seasonal normals in the coming days.
(Reuters)
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2024-02-09 13:40:35
