Tens of millions on the move as China Spring Festival travel season starts Liu warned of the likelihood of heavy snow and icy rain that could hamper travel while vowing greater efforts to avoid another travel disaster, as was seen in early 2008 when unprecedented heavy snow and freezing rain inundated the south of the country, bringing traffic to a standstill during the peak holiday season. To better cope with the busiest traffic of the year, railway authorities, bus companies and airlines across the country are increasing transport capacity. China's civil aviation regulator said Sunday that it has given the green light for domestic airlines to add 14,000 flights to meet massive passenger flow. Railway authorities have long been under pressure to increase capacity and improve ticketing services, as many citizens find it extremely hard to secure a single ticket during major holidays. About 4,100 trains are running each day during the Spring Festival travel rush this year, 260 more than a year earlier, according to Hu Yadong, vice minister of railways. The Ministry of Railways began allowing customers to book all tickets online or by phone late last year in order to ease the ordeal of buying tickets. During major holidays in the past, people would wait for hours in long lines before getting to the ticket sales windows, only to find that tickets were sold out. Many even had to pay extra to buy from ticket scalpers. However, ...

Snapshots of the Travel Rush Most Chinese start journey back home for family union before Spring Festival   China Spring Festival travel season starts   Spring Festival travel rush looming   Children of migrant workers go home with parents   Smiles as kids head home for holidays   Rail e-ticket sales get off-track   Talking about travel safety with passengers   Helping the elderly

Services and Safety Volunteers ease burden of train travel   Ticket clerk pulls out all the stops   China stresses road safety for Spring Festival travel rush   Curb major accidents to ensure road safety during Spring Festival: ministry   Policewomen undertake security duties on Wuhan-Guangzhou High-Speed Railway   Hassle-free travel from Xi'an   China enacts measures to ensure safety as annual travel rush begins   Lanzhou Railways Bureau provide good service for China's upcoming travel rush   Boarding for the Train Checking passengers' tickets   Rush home for Spring Festival   Passengers run to catch trains at railway stations   Passengers wait for boarding trains   Beijing Railway Station & Beijing West Railway Station begin real-name boarding   China's Spring Festival travel rush starts   Railway stations prepare for real-name ticket check   Chongqing North Railway Station witnesses traffic peak   Train Ticket Purchase Nationwide rush for home kicks off   Passengers queue up to buy tickets at railway stations   Train ticket purchase peak coming in Tianjin due to Spring Festival rush   Real-name ticket purchasing system launched   Glitches hamper Web sales of train tickets   Beijing starts to sell train tickets for Spring Festival travel rush period   Tianjin Railway Station opens temporary ticket office   China deploys real-name system to curb train-ticket scalping at holiday season   Preparation for the Travel Rush In Nanchang, Jiangxi Province   Explaining train ticket regulations to a passager   3.16 billion passenger expected on the move   Preparing for Chinese New Year travel rush