Transport capacity greatly improved

Source: CCTV.com | 02-01-2008 13:27

The Guangzhou Railway Station has experienced its greatest number of stranded passengers since the start of the Spring Festival peak travel season.

About 200,000 people were stuck outside the railway station on Thursday. The southern Chinese railroad pivot is facing unprecedented challenges.

The streets outside the Guangzhou Railway Station are packed with travelers who are desperate to get on trains home. Some have been stuck in the city for days. The news of service being resumed on Thursday brought hundreds of thousands of them.

It's a push and shove all the way.

More police have been brought in for crowd control and to deal with any emergencies.

Some travelers finally manage to get out of the crowds.

A stranded passenger said, "We've been stuck there for 10 hours. We arrived at one o'clock this afternoon after seeing the news that normal train service has resumed."

On the square outside the station, police are doing their best to keep order.

Thursday saw the biggest number of trains departing from the Guangzhou Railway Station. During the 24 hours beginning at 6 pm, official statistics show more than 100 trains, carrying over 230,000 passengers, set out.

Transport capacity has greatly improved. But railway officials warn the huge number of passengers stranded in the past few days will still put a serious strain on Guangzhou in the coming days.

Editor:Zhang Ning