Bad weather continues to plague millions of Chinese heading home

Source: CCTV.com | 01-27-2008 11:37

Bad weather is continuing to affect much of China. Travel by air, train and roads have all been hit as efforts continue to help get passengers home in time for the Spring Festival.

The mid and lower reaches of the Yangtze River are still seeing snow and low temperatures. Highways in the area were closed due to heavy snow and icy conditions. Local authorities have sent workers to spread salt on the roads and clear the snow. In some provinces, police cars were used to lead traffic, while highways were only opened during daylight hours.

A number of long distance bus stations were also closed. Passengers were taken to nearby railway stations.

Due to heavy snow, seven airports had to be closed temporarily. Changsha airport in Hunan Province will not open until Sunday morning. The civil aviation authorities have urged airports and airline companies to make arrangements for delayed passengers and keep them updated with flight information.

Telecommunications also suffered. By Friday, more than 21 million users of China Mobile had signal failures. About 600 thousand China Telecom users were also affected.

Trains on the Beijing-Guangzhou railway line have been delayed because of power failures.

Zhao Chunlei, Ministry of Railway, said, "About 600 passenger trains and 800 cargo trains have been delayed on the railway line.

The ring road in front of Guangzhou Railway Station has been closed to provide delayed passengers with more room to stay. Ticket sales was suspended, and sold tickets can be returned. Passengers who had been delayed at other smaller stations were sent food and water by railway authorities.

The Ministry of Railways has initiated contingency plans to deal with the situation. Temporary train services were provided to reduce the travel congestion, while some passengers were re-routed to alternative lines.

It's estimated that the situation on the trains will improve on Sunday afternoon. Railway departments are advising passengers to be flexible with their travel plans.

Editor:Du Xiaodan