China's passenger traffic expected to reach 2.85 billion during the Spring Festival period as the equivalent of the the whole nation is on the move.
China's public transport system faces huge pressure Image: idirectori |
Every year, hundreds of millions of Chinese return to their hometowns to spend Chinese New Year, or Spring Festival, with their families.
Last year passenger traffic reached 2.6 billion, almost triple the total amount in 1991, and this year looks set to rise by a further 11.6% to 2.85 billion. This is equivalent to entire population of the country moving – twice!
In preparation for the enormous increase in volume, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) has adjusted its operations accordingly, ordering the railway networks, civil aviation companies, public security bureaus and other transport sectors to prepare for the increase. The Department of Railways has added an an extra 500 diesel locomotives and 1,000 extra cars to help meet the demand.
For the first time ever, tickets have been available for purchase online as part of the government's initiative to ease congestion around the holiday period. However, this has caused problems for some of the nation's many migrant workers, who were either unable to connect to the internet, or unable to understand the website. This has also led to a shortages at conventional ticket counters, leaving some to queue for as much as 6 days before getting a ticket.
However, not everybody is relying on public transport to get home. Over 100,000 migrant workers in the factory-heavy Pearl River Delta area have formed a "motorcycle army”, which has been spotted at various points around the country. The horde of migrant motorcyclists, with each pack numbering in the tens of thousands, has attracted the interest of Chinese locals and the media.
One woman and her son have relied on the help of others to see them home safely. Feng Ying and her 5 year-old son have been communicating with fellow netizens on t.qq.com, China's largest instant messenger service. As a result, people have been offering the couple lifts, accommodation, guides and food on their 3,000 km trip from south China's Guangdong province to the northern Ningxia Hui autonomous region.
Feng Ying embarked on her 15 day long journey with only 280 yuan ($44) in her pocket. However, Feng insists the price of plane or train tickets were never an issue, but rather she “wanted to show the world to my son – a world where people are without fear or indifference, and have warmth and kindness to strangers.”