China's Lunar New Year holiday rush in full swing

0 Comment(s)Print E-mail CRI, February 17, 2015
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Tens of thousands of people flocked to train stations in the Chinese capital yesterday as they made their way home for family get-togethers, celebrating the upcoming Lunar New Year. The scene has been repeated in major cities across the country as the world's largest annual human migration continues in full swing.

A staff member directs passengers to enter the Shanghai Railway Station in Shanghai, east China, Feb. 16, 2015. A travel rush came to its peak as passengers were hurry for home reunion during the Spring Festival or Chinese Lunar New Year, which falls on Feb. 19 this year. [Photo/Xinhua] 

Rail officials in Shanghai expect nearly 400 thousand passengers to board trains today at the city's three railway stations. And before the holiday begins on Wednesday, more than 10 million rail journeys are expected to have originated in the city.

Zhengzhou Railway Station, the biggest rail transfer hub in China, saw more than 150 thousand trips during the day, an increase of 30 percent from last year.

Buying tickets often proves tough, with passengers at the station saying that even buying tickets online has become much harder.

"I got this ticket from someone who had returned it and I managed to get it. Train tickets usually sell out within two minutes of going on sale. After a couple of weeks some return their tickets and we can buy those." "Buying tickets is really hard! I had to refresh the website for a week before I managed to buy them."

In China, many people work in big cities, and many of them are far from their home towns; the week-long "Spring Festival" holiday is the only time many of them will have for seeing their families this year. Crowds of people dragging suitcases and holding bags thronged Beijing Railway Station as they rushed to get on trains.

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