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Pressure on holiday rail services
Source: Xinhua |
January 11, 2009, Sunday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
AS the annual Spring Festival draws near, hundreds of millions of Chinese studying or working away from their hometowns are rushing back for reunions with their long-separated families.
But the rush means dramatic surges in passenger flows and pain for the country's already-strained railway system.
Government officials said last week the nation expects 2.32 billion travel trips during the upcoming 40-day travel peak before, during and after the Spring Festival holiday.
A record 188 million people will opt for rail, the main choice for long-distance travel in the country, to take them home.
That's 8 percent more than the same period last year.
Railway authorities in major cities such as Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, and Hangzhou have added 319 temporary express passengers trains for the holiday rush.
But some people will find it hard to purchase a train ticket home through normal channels. Workers at ticket booths at railway stations report that a January 13 ticket from Beijing to Shenzhen had already sold out.
Railway stations across the country start selling tickets in advance - normally four days in advance during this holiday season.
It's common to see numerous queues of people crowded at railway stations trying to get a ticket home, with some failing to get what they want.
Liu Hongmei, who graduated from college last year and stayed in Beijing for work, said she might have to buy a ticket from scalpers, people who buy large quantities of tickets from train stations and resell it for higher rates to passengers.
For many Chinese, including tens of millions of migrant workers who are working in big cities without decent wages, flying could be too costly.
Wang Yongping, spokesman with the Ministry of Railways, said on Friday that the country was gearing up for the festival season challenge.
He said the ministry took all possible measures every year to optimize rail transport to appease passenger demand.
It had also worked out how to deal with severe weather conditions on the central government's Website and handle emergencies.
But the rush means dramatic surges in passenger flows and pain for the country's already-strained railway system.
Government officials said last week the nation expects 2.32 billion travel trips during the upcoming 40-day travel peak before, during and after the Spring Festival holiday.
A record 188 million people will opt for rail, the main choice for long-distance travel in the country, to take them home.
That's 8 percent more than the same period last year.
Railway authorities in major cities such as Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, and Hangzhou have added 319 temporary express passengers trains for the holiday rush.
But some people will find it hard to purchase a train ticket home through normal channels. Workers at ticket booths at railway stations report that a January 13 ticket from Beijing to Shenzhen had already sold out.
Railway stations across the country start selling tickets in advance - normally four days in advance during this holiday season.
It's common to see numerous queues of people crowded at railway stations trying to get a ticket home, with some failing to get what they want.
Liu Hongmei, who graduated from college last year and stayed in Beijing for work, said she might have to buy a ticket from scalpers, people who buy large quantities of tickets from train stations and resell it for higher rates to passengers.
For many Chinese, including tens of millions of migrant workers who are working in big cities without decent wages, flying could be too costly.
Wang Yongping, spokesman with the Ministry of Railways, said on Friday that the country was gearing up for the festival season challenge.
He said the ministry took all possible measures every year to optimize rail transport to appease passenger demand.
It had also worked out how to deal with severe weather conditions on the central government's Website and handle emergencies.
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