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Authorities said the nation’s transport networks are now more capable of handling the volume, but challenges remain. “Because of the late festival date this year, there will be overlapping passenger flows of family visitors, tourists, students, and migrant workers. We estimate the maximum daily peak will be 100 million journeys. Road traffic will be under pressure. Last year, there was a 14 percent year-on-year growth of private cars on highways. It will be more challenging to secure smooth and safe road traffic.” But authorities said that, for the first time, there will be fewer road trips this year – by about 1.6 percent. That’s because people are choosing mass transport like trains or flights. The government is also worked on making tickets easier to get, particularly for trains.
“We added temporary trains to carry 1.5 million more passengers a day,” Li Wenxin, deputy general manager of China Railway Corporation said. “We’ve added high-speed overnight trains. We’re making full use of new railways.” “But,” Li explained, “railways can’t fully meet passenger demand. We can only allow 390 million of the total 2.98 billion trips expected this year. Train stations are mobbed every spring festival. This year, people are expected to make 8.8 percent more trips on trains, and 10 percent more on planes. Read Original Article |
