China's annual Spring Festival travel rush begins

Passengers get off a train at the Nanjing Railway Station in Nanjing, east China's Jiangsu Province, Feb. 2, 2026.

China's annual Spring Festival travel rush began on Monday, with inter-regional trips expected to hit a record 9.5 billion.

Passenger volumes on railways and civil aviation are forecast at 540 million and 95 million, respectively, with both total traffic and daily peak flows expected to surpass previous records.

The Spring Festival, or the Chinese New Year, falls on Feb. 17 this year. The official holiday lasts nine days, with the travel rush running through March 13. [Photo/Xinhua]