Travelers hit
A train station in Bozhou, Anhui province, witnesses the travel peak on Tuesday, the last day of Spring Festival. Snow, icy rain and fog delayed flights and closed highways in many parts of China as millions of travelers headed back to school or work.
Snow, icy rain and fog caused flight delays and highway closures in many parts of China on Tuesday, the last day of the weeklong Lunar New Year celebration, when millions of travelers head back to school or work.
The return travel spree is even heavier than the preholiday migration, known as chunyun.
Beginning 14 days ahead of Lunar New Year, or Spring Festival, millions of people head home to reunite with family in the Chinese tradition. It is thought to be the world’s largest human migration, as 2.8 billion trips are expected during the 40-day travel period ending March 16.
The Central Meteorological Station forecast snow for most northern regions and rainy and foggy weather in most of the south.
Nationwide, the travel load of people on return trips to China’s cities was expected to peak between Tuesday and Friday.
Beijing South Railway Station, the largest of four terminals i n the capital, was expected to see 110,000 arrivals on Tuesday and 130,000 on Wednesday, up from the 100,000 recorded on Monday. Highways feeding the capital were also heavily congested on Tuesday as people rushed to take advantage of toll-free hours, which expired at midnight on Tuesday.