China to see 2.32 bln traveler-times over Spring Festival holiday period

Migrant workers enter the Changsha

Railway Station in Changcha, capital of central-south China's Hunan

Province, Jan. 8, 2009. The Spring Festival travel period, known as

Chunyun in Chinese, began to see its passenger peak in Changsha as the

college students and migrant workers started to return home. (Chinese media/Li

Ga)
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BEIJING, Jan. 8 (Chinese media) -- China expects 2.32

billion traveler-times during the upcoming 40-day travel peak as people flock

home for the traditional Spring Festival holiday, government authorities said

Thursday.

A woman rests with her children outside

the Hangzhou Railway Station in Hangzhou, capital of east China's Zhejiang

Province, Jan. 8, 2009. The Spring Festival travel period, known as

Chunyun in Chinese, began to see its passenger peak as the college

students and migrant workers started to return home. (Chinese media/Xu

Yu)
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That represents an 3.5-percent growth from the same

period of last year, according to officials at a teleconference held here

Thursday by eight central government departments.

The eight departments included the Ministry of

Transport, the Ministry of Public Security and the National Development and

Reform Commission (NDRC).

Local officials must step up scrutiny to ensure

travel safety and make preparations for emergencies, said Liu Tienan, deputy

chief of the NDRC, the country's top economic planner.

Freezing rains and snow over the past few days have

blocked some roads in southern China. Local governments have been urged to step

up maintenance efforts to ensure major roads are safe and clear.

Early last year, a worst-in-decades snow and ice

onslaught hit southern regions and paralyzed many roads and railways, stranding

millions heading for a family re-union during the Chinese Lunar New Year.

Passengers enter the Nanjing Railway

Station in Nanjing, capital of east China's Jiangsu Province, Jan. 8,

2009. During the Spring Festival travel period this year, known as Chunyun

in Chinese, more than 6.19 million person-time is expected to depart from

Nanjing, over 2.71 million of whom would depart by train, according to the

Chunyun Affairs Office of Nanjing on Jan. 1. (Chinese media/Sun Can)
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The country will see a record 188 million train

takers in this year's Spring Festival travel rush, 8 percent more than the same

period last year, Chinese media learnt from the Thursday meeting.

Railway authorities in the cities of Beijing,

Guangzhou, Shanghai and Hangzhou have added 319 temporary express passengers

trains for the holiday rush.

A worker builds the framework of tents

to shelter ticket buyers from winter cold at the open ground of the

Guiyang Railway Station in Guiyang, capital of southwest China's Guizhou

province, Jan. 7, 2009, prior to the Chinese lunar New Year starting from

Jan. 26. Hundreds of millions of Chinese people are expected to move

around by means of railway during the lunar New Year holidays. (Chinese media/Wu

Dongjun)
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In the busy period, which lasts from Jan. 11 to Feb.

19, the number of air travelers will rise 12 percent year on year to 23.2

million.

Traveler-timesby bus and by water will reach 2.07 billion

and 31 million respectively, up 3 percent and 8 percent.

The Spring Festival falls on Jan. 26 this year.

A steward works on a train at the

Changsha Railway Station in Changsha, capital of central-south China's

Hunan Province, Jan. 8, 2009. The Spring Festival travel period, known as

Chunyun in Chinese, will start officially on Jan. 11. Some 30 temporary

trains are ready in Changsha as the preparation work is in place to ensure

the safe and orderly operation during the peak travel season. (Chinese media/Zhao

Zhongzhi)
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