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Spring Festival travel rush begin today, nearly 3 billion trips expected

Passengers wait for the train in Hankou Railway Station in Wuhan, capital of central China's Hubei Province, Jan. 12, 2017, ahead of the Spring Festival travel rush. Spring Festival, or Chinese Lunar New Year, will fall on Jan. 28 this year. The travel rush, also known as "Chunyun", will begin on Jan. 13 and last until Feb. 21. Spring Festival is the country's most important family holiday, with hundreds of millions of people heading for their hometowns, which puts huge stress on the transport system. (Xinhua/Xiao Yijiu)

The world's largest annual human migration, the Spring Festival travel rush, will be even larger this year.

About 2.98 billion trips are expected to be made during China's 2017 Spring Festival travel rush between Jan. 13 and Feb. 21, China's top economic planner said Thursday.

The figure represents an increase of 2.2 percent from the same period in 2016, with air travel to see the fastest growth among all transportation modes, Zhao Chenxin, spokesperson for the National Development and Reform Commission, said at a press conference.

The number of road trips is projected to reach 2.52 billion, a 1-percent increase from last year, while train trips are likely to top 356 million during the period, up 9.7 percent year on year, Zhao said.

More breakdown figures showed that air travel will likely top 58.3 million trips, surging 10 percent from last year, while boat trips are predicted to reach 43.5 million during the period, up 2 percent year on year, said Zhao.

Transportation authorities have been prepared for the travel peak, but snow, fog and other abnormal weather conditions in some regions will add pressure to this year's holiday travel rush, Zhao added.

The Spring Festival, or Chinese Lunar New Year, falls on Jan. 28 this year. The festival is the most important occasion for family reunions.


Passengers board K4076 train at Shenzhen Railway Station on the evening of Jan. 12, 2017. [Photo: Xinhua/Mao Siqian]


A passenger runs on the platform for K4076 train at Shenzhen Railway Station on Jan. 13, 2017. [Photo: Xinhua/Mao Siqian]


Passengers share a bowl of instant noodles while waiting for the train at the waiting room of Shenzhen Railway Station on the evening of Jan. 12, 2017. [Photo: Xinhua/Mao Siqian]


Passengers wait in line for boarding the train at Shenzhen Railway Station on the evening of Jan. 12, 2017. [Photo: Xinhua/Mao Siqian]


Passengers sort out the luggages in the carriage of K4076 train at Shenzhen Railway Station on the evening of Jan. 12, 2017. [Photo: Xinhua/Mao Siqian]


A child in a carriage of K4076 train watches the other passengers on the platform at Shenzhen Railway Station on the evening of Jan. 12, 2017. [Photo: Xinhua/Mao Siqian]


Passengers wait for the train in Wuchang Railway Station in Wuhan, capital of central China's Hubei Province, Jan. 12, 2017, ahead of the Spring Festival travel rush. Spring Festival, or Chinese Lunar New Year, will fall on Jan. 28 this year. The travel rush, also known as "Chunyun", will begin on Jan. 13 and last until Feb. 21. Spring Festival is the country's most important family holiday, with hundreds of millions of people heading for their hometowns, which puts huge stress on the transport system. (Xinhua/Xiao Yijiu)


Passengers wait for the train in Wuchang Railway Station in Wuhan, capital of central China's Hubei Province, Jan. 12, 2017, ahead of the Spring Festival travel rush. Spring Festival, or Chinese Lunar New Year, will fall on Jan. 28 this year. The travel rush, also known as "Chunyun", will begin on Jan. 13 and last until Feb. 21. Spring Festival is the country's most important family holiday, with hundreds of millions of people heading for their hometowns, which puts huge stress on the transport system. (Xinhua/Xiao Yijiu)


Passengers wait for the train in Wuchang Railway Station in Wuhan, capital of central China's Hubei Province, Jan. 12, 2017, ahead of the Spring Festival travel rush. Spring Festival, or Chinese Lunar New Year, will fall on Jan. 28 this year. The travel rush, also known as "Chunyun", will begin on Jan. 13 and last until Feb. 21. Spring Festival is the country's most important family holiday, with hundreds of millions of people heading for their hometowns, which puts huge stress on the transport system. (Xinhua/Xiao Yijiu)


Passengers wait for the train in Wuchang Railway Station in Wuhan, capital of central China's Hubei Province, Jan. 12, 2017, ahead of the Spring Festival travel rush. Spring Festival, or Chinese Lunar New Year, will fall on Jan. 28 this year. The travel rush, also known as "Chunyun", will begin on Jan. 13 and last until Feb. 21. Spring Festival is the country's most important family holiday, with hundreds of millions of people heading for their hometowns, which puts huge stress on the transport system. (Xinhua/Xiao Yijiu)


Passengers wait for the train in Wuchang Railway Station in Wuhan, capital of central China's Hubei Province, Jan. 12, 2017, ahead of the Spring Festival travel rush. Spring Festival, or Chinese Lunar New Year, will fall on Jan. 28 this year. The travel rush, also known as "Chunyun", will begin on Jan. 13 and last until Feb. 21. Spring Festival is the country's most important family holiday, with hundreds of millions of people heading for their hometowns, which puts huge stress on the transport system. (Xinhua/Xiao Yijiu)


Mechanics check a bullet train in Qingdao City, east China's Shandong Province, Jan. 12, 2017, ahead of the Spring Festival travel rush. Spring Festival, or Chinese Lunar New Year, will fall on Jan. 28 this year. The travel rush, also known as "Chunyun," will begin on Jan. 13 and last until Feb. 21. Spring Festival is the country's most important family holiday, with hundreds of millions of people heading to their hometowns, which puts huge stress on the transport system. (Xinhua/Tang Ke)


A driver prepares to get on a bullet train in Qingdao City, east China's Shandong Province, Jan. 12, 2017, ahead of the Spring Festival travel rush. Spring Festival, or Chinese Lunar New Year, will fall on Jan. 28 this year. The travel rush, also known as "Chunyun," will begin on Jan. 13 and last until Feb. 21. Spring Festival is the country's most important family holiday, with hundreds of millions of people heading to their hometowns, which puts huge stress on the transport system. (Xinhua/Tang Ke)


Railway staff greet the upcoming Spring Festival travel rush at the Liugeji Railway Station on Shanghai-Kunming railway in southwest China's Guizhou Province, Jan. 12, 2017. Spring Festival, or Chinese Lunar New Year, will fall on Jan. 28 this year. The travel rush, also known as "Chunyun," will begin on Jan. 13 and last until Feb. 21. Spring Festival is the country's most important family holiday, with hundreds of millions of people heading to their hometowns, which puts huge stress on the transport system. (Xinhua/Wu Jibin)


Bullet trains wait on the high-speed railway depot in Qingdao City, east China's Shandong Province, Jan. 12, 2017, ahead of the Spring Festival travel rush. Spring Festival, or Chinese Lunar New Year, will fall on Jan. 28 this year. The travel rush, also known as "Chunyun," will begin on Jan. 13 and last until Feb. 21. Spring Festival is the country's most important family holiday, with hundreds of millions of people heading to their hometowns, which puts huge stress on the transport system. (Xinhua/Tang Ke)


Passengers prepare to get on bullet trains in Xi'an North Railway Station in Xi'an, capital of northwest China's Shaanxi Province, Jan. 12, 2017, ahead of the Spring Festival travel rush. Spring Festival, or Chinese Lunar New Year, will fall on Jan. 28 this year. The travel rush, also known as "Chunyun," will begin on Jan. 13 and last until Feb. 21. Spring Festival is the country's most important family holiday, with hundreds of millions of people heading to their hometowns, which puts huge stress on the transport system. (Xinhua/Tang Zhenjiang)


Passengers pose for a group photo at Fuzhou Railway Station in Fuzhou, capital of southeast China's Fujian Province, Jan. 12, 2017, ahead of the Spring Festival travel rush. Spring Festival, or Chinese Lunar New Year, will fall on Jan. 28 this year. The travel rush, also known as "Chunyun", will begin on Jan. 13 and last until Feb. 21. Spring Festival is the country's most important family holiday, with hundreds of millions of people heading for their hometowns, which puts huge stress on the transport system. (Xinhua/Song Weiwei)


Passengers wait for the train at Fuzhou Railway Station in Fuzhou, capital of southeast China's Fujian Province, Jan. 12, 2017, ahead of the Spring Festival travel rush. Spring Festival, or Chinese Lunar New Year, will fall on Jan. 28 this year. The travel rush, also known as "Chunyun", will begin on Jan. 13 and last until Feb. 21. Spring Festival is the country's most important family holiday, with hundreds of millions of people heading for their hometowns, which puts huge stress on the transport system. (Xinhua/Song Weiwei)


Passengers wait for the train at Fuzhou Railway Station in Fuzhou, capital of southeast China's Fujian Province, Jan. 12, 2017, ahead of the Spring Festival travel rush. Spring Festival, or Chinese Lunar New Year, will fall on Jan. 28 this year. The travel rush, also known as "Chunyun", will begin on Jan. 13 and last until Feb. 21. Spring Festival is the country's most important family holiday, with hundreds of millions of people heading for their hometowns, which puts huge stress on the transport system. (Xinhua/Song Weiwei)


A little chid is seen at Fuzhou Railway Station in Fuzhou, capital of southeast China's Fujian Province, Jan. 12, 2017, ahead of the Spring Festival travel rush. Spring Festival, or Chinese Lunar New Year, will fall on Jan. 28 this year. The travel rush, also known as "Chunyun", will begin on Jan. 13 and last until Feb. 21. Spring Festival is the country's most important family holiday, with hundreds of millions of people heading for their hometowns, which puts huge stress on the transport system. (Xinhua/Song Weiwei)


Passengers wait for the train at Fuzhou Railway Station in Fuzhou, capital of southeast China's Fujian Province, Jan. 12, 2017, ahead of the Spring Festival travel rush. Spring Festival, or Chinese Lunar New Year, will fall on Jan. 28 this year. The travel rush, also known as "Chunyun", will begin on Jan. 13 and last until Feb. 21. Spring Festival is the country's most important family holiday, with hundreds of millions of people heading for their hometowns, which puts huge stress on the transport system. (Xinhua/Song Weiwei)


Passengers wait for the train at Fuzhou Railway Station in Fuzhou, capital of southeast China's Fujian Province, Jan. 12, 2017, ahead of the Spring Festival travel rush. Spring Festival, or Chinese Lunar New Year, will fall on Jan. 28 this year. The travel rush, also known as "Chunyun", will begin on Jan. 13 and last until Feb. 21. Spring Festival is the country's most important family holiday, with hundreds of millions of people heading for their hometowns, which puts huge stress on the transport system. (Xinhua/Song Weiwei)


SWAT policemen take part in an anti-riot exercise in a rail yard of the Yinchuan department of Lanzhou Railway Bureau in Yinchuan, capital of northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, Jan. 12, 2017. The exercise was held to improve security capacity for the upcoming Spring Festival travel rush. (Xinhua/Peng Zhaozhi)


SWAT policemen take part in an anti-riot exercise in a rail yard of the Yinchuan department of Lanzhou Railway Bureau in Yinchuan, capital of northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, Jan. 12, 2017. The exercise was held to improve security capacity for the upcoming Spring Festival travel rush. (Xinhua/Peng Zhaozhi)


SWAT policemen take part in an anti-riot exercise in a rail yard of the Yinchuan department of Lanzhou Railway Bureau in Yinchuan, capital of northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, Jan. 12, 2017. The exercise was held to improve security capacity for the upcoming Spring Festival travel rush. (Xinhua/Peng Zhaozhi)


SWAT policemen take part in an anti-riot exercise in a rail yard of the Yinchuan department of Lanzhou Railway Bureau in Yinchuan, capital of northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, Jan. 12, 2017. The exercise was held to improve security capacity for the upcoming Spring Festival travel rush. (Xinhua/Peng Zhaozhi)


Technicians examine and maintain an aircraft engine and wings at the maintenance base of China Southern Airlines in Haikou, capital of south China's Hainan Province, Jan. 10, 2017. China Southern Airlines check and clean airplanes to better cope with the upcoming Spring Festival travel rush. (Xinhua/Chu Hongyu)


A staff member cleans the carpet of an aircraft at the maintenance base of China Southern Airlines in Haikou, capital of south China's Hainan Province, Jan. 10, 2017. China Southern Airlines check and clean airplanes to better cope with the upcoming Spring Festival travel rush. (Xinhua/Chu Hongyu)


A flight attendant (R, front) and high-speed train attendants attend a training session in Xiamen, southeast China's Fujian Province, Dec. 1, 2016. Attendants from Xianmen Airlines and Nanchang Railroad Bureau attended a training session for the upcoming Spring Festival travel rush in Fuzhou. (Xinhua/Song Weiwei)


A flight attendant (C) and high-speed train attendants attend a training session in Xiamen, southeast China's Fujian Province, Dec. 1, 2016. Attendants from Xianmen Airlines and Nanchang Railroad Bureau attended a training session for the upcoming Spring Festival travel rush in Fuzhou. (Xinhua/Song Weiwei)

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