Record trips expected ahead of travel rush

China's railway network is preparing for the 2026 Spring Festival travel rush, known as chunyun, with passenger trips expected to reach a record high of 539 million during the 40-day period.

To cope with the travel peak, services have been introduced to improve convenience and accessibility, the country's top railway operator said on Sunday.

The Spring Festival travel season is the world's largest annual human migration. In recent years, some 9 billion passenger trips across all modes of transport have been recorded over the 40 days, reflecting both the cultural significance of the holiday and the scale of China's transportation system.

According to China State Railway Group, from Feb 2 to March 13 the national rail network is expected to facilitate about 539 million passenger trips, a 5 percent increase year-on-year.

Spring Festival will fall on Feb 17, and peak travel periods before and after the holiday are expected to coincide with a nine-day public holiday from Feb 15 to 23. Peak outbound travel before the festival is forecast for Feb 13, while the busiest return day is expected to be Feb 23.

Tickets for the first day of the travel rush will go on sale on Monday via the official 12306 ticketing platform.

To meet demand, railway authorities are making full use of China's expanding high-speed rail network, incorporating newly opened lines and stations, as well as additional Fuxing bullet trains, into a dedicated Spring Festival operating timetable.

At peak times, more than 14,000 passenger train services are expected to operate daily nationwide, with overall seating capacity increased by more than 5 percent from last year, the rail operator said.

Extra services will be added on major high-speed lines, including the Beijing–Shanghai and Beijing–Guangzhou routes, with overnight high-speed trains scheduled on busy sections to ease congestion.

Cross-border passenger services linking the Chinese mainland with the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and neighboring countries will continue to operate, supporting the steady recovery of cross-border travel during the holiday period.

Alongside capacity expansion, a range of passenger-oriented service upgrades ahead of the travel rush have been rolled out.

The 12306 ticketing platform has introduced a time-limited free refund policy for mistakenly purchased tickets. Tools such as a ticket waiting list system have also been optimized, according to the operator. The system allows passengers to register purchase requests for sold-out trains and automatically receive tickets if additional seats or services are released. Targeted support has also been strengthened for students, migrant workers and elderly travelers to help them secure tickets during peak periods.

Railway authorities have said they will rely on real-time data analysis to dynamically adjust ticket allocations, release additional seats when demand surges and prioritize passengers on waiting lists when new tickets become available.

To further improve the travel experience, the railway network is expanding its "quiet carriage" service, which offers designated cars for passengers seeking a calmer onboard environment. First piloted on select high-speed routes, the service will be made available on some 8,000 trains nationwide from Feb 1.

On trains offering the service, the option is marked with a "quiet" label on the 12306 ticketing interface. Passengers must agree to the relevant rules before purchasing tickets for these carriages.

Under the rules, passengers are required to keep noise levels low, set mobile phones and other electronic devices to silent or vibrate, use headphones when listening to audio and leave the carriage when making or taking phone calls.

Passengers traveling with children must ensure they do not cause disturbances. Train staff may intervene when necessary to maintain order and a relatively quiet onboard environment.