Guangzhou (JLC), February 2, 2024 – Transregional passenger flows in China exceeded 1.1 billion passenger trips in the first six days of the Spring Festival travel rush, known as Chunyun, according to JLC’s calculations based on data from the Ministry of Transport.
A total of approximately 1.15 billion passenger trips were taken in January 26-31 by road, railway, air and waterway across the country, JLC’s calculations showed.
It represented a surge of 16.44% from the corresponding period in 2023, and an increase of 5.43% from the pre-pandemic levels (the corresponding period in 2019), the calculations showed.
This year’s travel rush will be the busiest one that China has ever seen, the Ministry of Transport predicted, with an anticipated 9 billion trips being taken in the 40-day Chunyun, which began on January 26.
Road travel takes the lion's share
Passenger trips by road, railway, air and waterway in January 26-31 accounted for 92.60%, 6.02%, 1.06% and 0.31% respectively, according to data from the Ministry of Transport.
Road travel (including travel by public bus, coach and private car) reached around 1.07 billion passenger trips in the first six days of Chunyun, the data showed, far ahead of other transportation.
Private car travel, in particular, is expected to reach 7.2 billion trips in total during Chunyun, accounting for 80% of the overall traffic, the Ministry predicted earlier.
Air travel wise, a daily average of 2.04 million passenger trips was recorded during January 26-31, very much in line with what the Ministry of Transport had predicted.
The aviation sector is set to handle 2 million passenger trips per day during this year’s travel rush, the Ministry of Transport said earlier.
Weather challenges ahead
Freezing rains and heavy snowfall are expected to hit central and east China in February 1-5, China's National Meteorological Center said.
The adverse weather is expected to impact the transportation system in provinces in central and eastern China, with extreme snowfall levels in Hebei, Henan and Shandong provinces, according to its weather forecast.
