Passengers line up to buy tickets at the Changsha Railway Station in Changsha, capital of central China's Hunan Province, Jan. 21, 2009.  [Long Hongtao/Xinhua]

The Guangdong railway department has tried its best to maximize the rail capacity and improve their services to ensure a safe, it not cozy, trip for as many passengers as possible. But with just 2 and a half inches of track for every one of China's 1.3 billion people, it's still impossible to meet the demand for all passengers.

Zhou Zhenyi, Deputy Station Chief of Guangzhou Railway Station, said, "This year some passengers have returned home earlier than usual because of the weakening economy. But the number of passengers during the Spring Festival travel rush has not fallen because of this. Instead we estimate the number will be higher than in previous years. Currently our station handles over 200 thousand passengers a day. The gap between the capacity and the demand is still quite large."

Fortunately, this gap may start to narrow in the years to come. Railway authorities promised earlier this month that they will try to eliminate the bottleneck over the next three years by increasing the rail network from the current 80 thousand to 110 thousand kilometers nationwide. If this goal can be achieved, it might not be too long before Chinese train passengers are able to have a more comfortable and cozy trip home for the holidays.