Travelers wait for a train at Beijing West Railway Station, Jan 7, 2023. [Photo by Zou Hong/China Daily]
Around 6.3 million passenger trips are expected to be made across China on Saturday, the first day of this year's Spring Festival travel rush, the national railway operator China State Railway Group said.
Sufficient services will be provided in accordance with the passengers' needs, according to the company.
In Beijing, the high-speed train G6701 left Beijing West Railway Station and headed Handan in neighboring Hebei province at 5:34 am, the first train to leave the capital during the holiday rush.
The station, one of the major railway stations in the capital, is expected to handle 79,000 passenger trips on Saturday.
Travelers prepare to take train at Beijing West Railway Station, Jan 7, 2023. [Photo by Zou Hong/China Daily]
Liang Zhaoyu, the station's spokesman, said the station is projected to see about 3.68 million passenger trips during this year's rush, a year-on-year increase of 80.5 percent, roughly 59 percent of the volume in 2019, prior to the epidemic.
"We will increase disinfection at waiting rooms, especially at key areas, including the ticket checking machine and door handle at bathrooms, to provide a safe environment for travelers," he added.
China Beijing Railway Group, the regional railway operator, is expected to handle 21.6 million passenger trips during the period.
Wang Hu took the bullet train from Beijing to Handan on Saturday.
He took some annual leave and headed home earlier to avoid traffic.
Travelers prepare to take train at Beijing West Railway Station, Jan 7, 2023. [Photo by Zou Hong/China Daily]
As the first time Spring Festival travel rush after China optimized epidemic control measures, Wang said he felt like going back to 2019, prior to the epidemic.
"Travel has become easier again," he said.
China optimized its epidemic control management recently, and epidemic measures for travel were also optimized last month.
Travelers no longer need negative nucleic acid test results or health codes, are not required to undergo nucleic acid testing or health inspection upon arrival, and will not have their temperatures checked.
About 2.1 billion passenger trips are expected to be made during the period, a year-on-year increase of 99.5 percent, Vice-Minister of Transport Xu Chengguang said at a news conference on Friday.
This year's travel rush will start on Saturday and end on Feb 15. The Spring Festival will fall on Jan 22.
A steward gives a gift to a child on G6701 high-speed train before it departs Beijing West Railway Station, Jan 7, 2023. [Photo by Zou Hong/China Daily]
Travelers pose at G6701 high-speed train before departing at Beijing West Railway Station, Jan 7, 2023. [Photo by Zou Hong/China Daily]
Travelers at Beijing West Railway Station, Jan 7, 2023. [Photo by Zou Hong/China Daily]
Travelers at Beijing West Railway Station, Jan 7, 2023. [Photo by Zou Hong/China Daily]
Travelers wait for a train at Beijing West Railway Station, Jan 7, 2023. [Photo by Zou Hong/China Daily]
Travelers wait for a train at Beijing West Railway Station, Jan 7, 2023. [Photo by Zou Hong/China Daily]
