Over 9 bln trips estimated during China's Spring Festival travel rush

BEIJING, Feb. 22 (Xinhua) -- The total number of inter-regional passenger trips across China during the 40-day Spring Festival travel rush, also known as chunyun, is estimated to reach 9.03 billion, official data showed.

Driven by family reunions and leisure travel for the Chinese New Year, the country saw railways, highways, waterways and airlines operating at full capacity during the period, which concluded on Saturday.

About 8.39 billion trips were made by road, the busiest mode of transportation. Passenger volume reached 513.63 million for railways, 90.19 million for air travel, and 31.15 million for waterways.

The travel rush, often referred to as the world's largest annual human migration, highlights China's vast mobility and economic activity. With a steadily recovering economy and rising demand for travel, this year's chunyun saw a robust transportation network handling unprecedented passenger volumes.

The Spring Festival, an occasion for family reunions, fell on Jan. 29 this year. ■