Beiji railway stations expect 10 mln passengers during Spring Festival rush

BEIJING, Dec. 31 (Chinese media) -- The three major railway stations in Beijing

are expected to handle almost 10 million passengers during the upcoming Spring

Festival travel season, an 18 percent rise year on year, authorities said

Wednesday.

At least 5.1 million tickets would be sold at the Beijing West Railway

Station between Jan. 11 and Feb. 19, up 10 percent from a year earlier, said a

spokesman with the Beijing Railways Bureau.

Meanwhile, a total of 4.8 million would be sold at the Beijing Railway

Station and Beijing South Railway Station during the 40-day travel period, up

20.8 percent, the spokesman said.

The railway authorities in Beijing, one of the largest transport hubs in

the country, would open more ticket offices, lengthen working hours and arrange

additional trains to cope with the passenger surge, he said.

The Spring Festival, or the Lunar Chinese New Year, is a traditional

occasion for family reunions, particularly for millions of migrant workers who

work in cities and leave their families behind in the countryside. The Spring

Festival falls on Jan. 26 this year.

Railway stations across China expect to handle a record of 188 million

passengers, up 8 percent year on year, the Ministry of Railways said earlier

this month.