China expects 9b inter-regional trips during Spring Festival travel rush

BEIJING -- About 9 billion inter-regional trips are expected to be made in China during the upcoming Spring Festival travel rush, according to a national teleconference on Tuesday.

The figure is forecast to rise by 7 percent from the last Spring Festival peak travel season, and is likely to hit a record high.

This annual travel rush, also known as "Chunyun," is usually a period of high transportation demand as people return to their hometowns for family reunions. The 2025 Chunyun will last from Jan 14 to Feb 22.

Cross-regional rail journeys and civil aviation passenger trips are also expected to hit record highs of 510 million and 90 million, respectively.

Eight government departments, including the Ministry of Transport, on Tuesday released an action plan to secure the safety, smooth operations and services of the upcoming travel rush.

The plan specifies measures to ensure the supply of charging services for new energy vehicles, pledging efforts to open additional charging facilities in busy service areas and provide guidance for drivers to ensure orderly parking and charging during the peak travel period.

Spring Festival, the most important traditional festival in China, will fall on Jan 29 in 2025.