China's Record Spring Festival Travel Rush Set to Begin
An unprecedented migration event coincides with the festival's recognition as an Intangible Cultural Heritage.
China is bracing for its largest annual population migration, as the nation gears up for the Spring Festival travel rush, known as 'chunyun'.
Starting on Tuesday, this massive movement of people comes 15 days ahead of the Chinese Lunar New Year.
This year's travel rush is particularly significant, being the first since UNESCO added the Spring Festival to its Intangible Cultural Heritage list in December last year.
The Spring Festival, known as a time for family gatherings and celebration, prompts a nationwide exodus.
This year's chunyun is projected to accommodate a staggering nine billion passenger trips, ending on February 22. Rail and air travel are expected to reach unprecedented levels, marking a new chapter in domestic transportation trends.
Forecasts indicate that approximately 7.2 billion road trips and over 90 million civil aviation trips will occur during this period.
The country’s rail network, a vital component of this migration, is expected to manage over 510 million passenger trips.
This volume translates to an average of 12.75 million rail trips daily, a notable increase of 5.5 percent compared to the previous year.
On the first day of the travel rush alone, around 10.3 million train journeys are anticipated.
China's State Railway Group Co., Ltd. has noted the strong public desire to travel, predicting a steady growth in overall passenger flow throughout the travel rush.
To accommodate this surge and maintain efficiency, the railway operator plans to expand its transport capacity significantly.
To address the increased demand, over 14,000 passenger trains will operate daily during this period, offering an additional 500,000 seats per day, marking an estimated 4 percent increase in railway passenger capacity year-on-year.
The 40-day chunyun period is a hallmark of China's cultural and social calendar, facilitating family reunions for hundreds of millions across the country.
This phenomenon not only underscores the cultural significance of the Spring Festival but also highlights the robust infrastructure capabilities necessary to support such a colossal human migration.
Starting on Tuesday, this massive movement of people comes 15 days ahead of the Chinese Lunar New Year.
This year's travel rush is particularly significant, being the first since UNESCO added the Spring Festival to its Intangible Cultural Heritage list in December last year.
The Spring Festival, known as a time for family gatherings and celebration, prompts a nationwide exodus.
This year's chunyun is projected to accommodate a staggering nine billion passenger trips, ending on February 22. Rail and air travel are expected to reach unprecedented levels, marking a new chapter in domestic transportation trends.
Forecasts indicate that approximately 7.2 billion road trips and over 90 million civil aviation trips will occur during this period.
The country’s rail network, a vital component of this migration, is expected to manage over 510 million passenger trips.
This volume translates to an average of 12.75 million rail trips daily, a notable increase of 5.5 percent compared to the previous year.
On the first day of the travel rush alone, around 10.3 million train journeys are anticipated.
China's State Railway Group Co., Ltd. has noted the strong public desire to travel, predicting a steady growth in overall passenger flow throughout the travel rush.
To accommodate this surge and maintain efficiency, the railway operator plans to expand its transport capacity significantly.
To address the increased demand, over 14,000 passenger trains will operate daily during this period, offering an additional 500,000 seats per day, marking an estimated 4 percent increase in railway passenger capacity year-on-year.
The 40-day chunyun period is a hallmark of China's cultural and social calendar, facilitating family reunions for hundreds of millions across the country.
This phenomenon not only underscores the cultural significance of the Spring Festival but also highlights the robust infrastructure capabilities necessary to support such a colossal human migration.
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