China's railways will transport an unprecedented 156 million passengers during the upcoming Spring Festival travel peak in 2007, up 4.3 percent year-on-year, said sources with the Ministry of Railways on Monday.

 

The 40-day travel peak will begin on February 3, 15 days before the lunar New Year's Day, and end on March 14.

 

Passenger flows will be concentrated in Beijing and Guangzhou during the first 15 days and in Chengdu, Chongqing, Wuhan, Nanchang and Hefei during the remaining 25 days, said the sources.

 

The peak of the flows is expected to come after the lunar New Year's Day when college students begin to return to school and migrant workers set out for big cities.

 

A total of 318 pairs of temporary passenger trains will be added to ease the traffic pressures.

 

The ministry will give priority to passenger transport while guaranteeing the transport of coal, grain, oil and other goods, said the sources.

 

(Xinhua News Agency December 26, 2006)