More snow forecast as China gears up for post-holiday travel peak

Source: Xinhua | 02-12-2008 10:44

BEIJING, Feb. 11 (Xinhua) -- China's transport authorities are gearing up for the post-Lunar New Year holiday travel peak on Tuesday amid forecasts of fresh snow.

Most of south China would see moderate snow and rain in the next three days, while sleet and snow were expected for the already hard-hit southwestern province of Guizhou, the China Meteorological Administration (CMA) said Monday.

It warned the icy weather could cause problems during the travel peak.

The number of passengers surged in major railway and bus stations on Monday as millions of people journeyed back to work.

The State Council called on travelers to adjust their plans to avoid the peak on Monday. Roads should be cleared to ensure safety in the event of rain and snow.

The Ministry of Railways had 264 extra trains on standby to tackle the travel peak and 191 trains from northeast China were heading for the central Wuhan, Nanchang and Chengdu cities from where most migrant workers depart.

Major railway stations had opened more ticket booths for 24-hour sales to cope with the peak, according to the ministry.

The railways carried 3.99 million passengers on Sunday, 480,000more than a day earlier, according to ministry figures.

The post-Spring Festival railway transport peak saw more than five million passengers in one day last year and more were expected this year, said a ministry spokesperson.

The travel rush began to hit China's roads on Monday, with 44.6 million people traveling by bus, an increase of 16.5 million from the previous day, the Ministry of Communications said Monday.

Transport authorities have prepared more than 700,000 buses to deal with the rush. More windows and longer opening times had been arranged to allow easier ticket purchases.

About 80 percent of inter-provincial bus lines had resumed after snow and icy weather caused severe disruption last week. No passengers had been reported stranded, said the ministry.

The travel rush comes as China's transport systems are creaking back to life after freak cold and ice storms hit swathes of the country, causing billions of dollars in damage and killing at least 70 people.

Editor:Xiong Qu