2b people to travel during Spring Festival (Xinhua) Updated: 2005-12-18 11:38
China's passenger flow will hit 2.042 billion persons in the 2006 Spring
Festival period, up 3.1 percent over the equivalent time last year, according to
official estimate.
People to travel by railway will reach 144 million,
while those through road transportation will be 1.8 billion and the number via
aircraft will stand at 15 million, said the National Development and Reform
Commission.
The commission has urged relative departments to arrange
additional trains, buses, ships and planes to meet the travel surge, especially
more trains in the regions with large flow of students and migrant workers.
The authority also required local governments to coordinate the two
major petroleum companies to ensure oil supply during transportation season,
especially the supply of diesel oil.
The transportation period of Spring
Festival, China's traditional lunar new year which starts on January 29, 2006,
will last from January 14 to February 22.
The holiday is an important
occasion for Chinese families, similar to Christmas in the western world.
For years, transport facilities have strained during the season as
throngs of migrant workers, college students and other Chinese flock back home
and then return to the places where they work and study.
|