In just a few days, the Spring Festival travel rush will begin. Over the course of 40 days, more than 3.4 billion trips will be made by people across China. Assuming that each person makes a round trip home involving four transfers, this equates to over 850 million people moving in all directions across the country. Even before the travel rush officially starts, the struggle to secure train tickets has already reached a critical point. With such a massive number of people on the move, can everyone make it home for the holidays smoothly? How many travel options are available to the public?
Trains: Tight Supply Eases But Still Falls Short
This year, train tickets are once again in extremely short supply. Is it any easier to go home by train? An official from the Ministry of Railways' Transport Bureau stated that this year’s railway spring transport schedule includes 450 pairs of temporary direct passenger trains. The railway system is implementing a three-tier capacity plan consisting of a basic plan, a backup plan, and an emergency plan, in addition to 2,200 pairs of regularly scheduled direct passenger trains. This marks the highest level of transport capacity arrangement in the railway’s history. Particularly with the opening of the Harbin-Dalian and Beijing-Guangzhou high-speed railways, transport capacity has increased. Areas along these routes—such as Hubei, Hunan, and Henan—that have traditionally faced ticket shortages have seen some relief this year. However, due to the stark contrast between transport capacity and demand, the difficulty of purchasing tickets remains evident. Railway authorities hope that passengers will make practical and early choices regarding travel times and modes of transportation.
Buses: 78 Million Tickets Available Daily
Can’t get a train ticket? Will there be bus seats available? According to predictions by the Ministry of Transport, during the travel rush, 3.14 billion trips will be made by road, a 9% increase year-on-year, accounting for over 91% of total passenger traffic during the period. He Jianzhong, spokesperson for the Ministry of Transport, analyzed that national long-distance buses will operate 2.6 million daily trips. Assuming an average of 30 seats per bus and one trip per day, this translates to 78 million passengers per day. Over 40 days, this amounts to over 3.12 billion passenger trips, exceeding the predicted demand. In addition, during peak periods, an extra 20,000 buses can be deployed nationwide daily.
The quality of buses on the road has also improved. Cai Tuanjie, a Spring Festival transport official from the Ministry of Transport, told reporters that the number of vehicles deployed for the travel rush nationwide has risen from 700,000 five years ago to 840,000 this year, with over 500,000 being mid- to high-grade buses. Road conditions have also improved compared to previous years. By the end of last year, China’s expressway network exceeded 90,000 kilometers, and the national “Five Verticals and Seven Horizontals” expressway trunk system has become a major artery of the country’s transport network. Especially in the past decade, China has carried out the largest-scale rural road construction since the founding of the People’s Republic, building roads while also introducing bus services, making rural travel much more convenient. However, some buses operating in rural areas still face issues such as being old, shabby, dilapidated, or overloaded.
Ferries: Easy Ticket Access & Strong Safety Measures
Is traveling home by ferry a viable option? He Jianzhong said that this year, the national waterway system will deploy over 13,000 passenger ships for the Spring Festival travel rush, each capable of providing over 700,000 passenger seats per day. Since water transport mostly involves short distances, a single ship can make multiple round trips in a day, offering over 1 million seats daily—more than the estimated 43.08 million passengers, ensuring sufficient transport capacity.
The sea can be rough and windy, so the Ministry of Transport has deployed significant safety measures on popular routes. Over 8,000 staff from the Ministry’s maritime rescue and salvage system are on standby in busy coastal waters, ready to respond immediately for rescue operations. Meanwhile, over 30,000 staff from the maritime safety administration are stationed at docks, conducting safety inspections on every vessel. Ships that violate safety regulations will not be allowed to set sail. In cases of severe weather such as strong winds, vessels are prohibited from leaving port.
Planes: Ample Capacity & Focus on Flight Delay Prevention
How about flying home? It is predicted that 35.5 million trips will be made by air during the travel rush. An official from the Civil Aviation Administration revealed that nearly 10,000 flights will operate daily during the period, transporting over 1 million passengers each day. Over 40 days, this adds up to more than 40 million passenger trips, with overall capacity exceeding demand. However, tickets for some popular routes may still be tight during peak travel times.
Almost every passenger dreads flight delays. Xia Xinghua, Deputy Administrator of the Civil Aviation Administration of China, stated that this year the administration is focusing on implementing a collaborative decision-making mechanism for flight clearance involving airports, air traffic control, and airlines to improve the ability to clear flights during severe weather. Before the travel rush begins, airlines and airports inspect and maintain aircraft and various facilities. Airport police and security departments enforce strict safety measures to ensure passenger safety.
Self-Driving: Ensuring Road Accessibility Is Key
“With the policy of waiving highway tolls for small vehicles during the Spring Festival holiday, self-driving home will undoubtedly see a significant increase,” said Li Gang, Director of the Road Transport Department at the Ministry of Transport. Statistics show that by the end of June 2012, the number of small vehicles in China had reached 114 million.
“For those choosing to drive home, the top priority for transport authorities is to ensure road accessibility,” Li Gang explained. Road management departments at all levels will strengthen inspections and maintenance of infrastructure such as roads and bridges to prevent disruptions caused by damage or construction. They will also ensure adequate supplies of snow and ice removal equipment and materials, and activate emergency plans as required to prevent prolonged traffic jams due to bad weather. Management of highway toll stations will be enhanced, with enough toll booths open to avoid long queues or congestion caused by toll collection. Additionally, timely forecasts and warnings on weather and road conditions will be issued to guide the public in avoiding travel during severe weather.