Guangdong recorded 1.162 billion cross-regional passenger trips during the 40-day Lunar New Year travel rush, averaging 29.05 million journeys per day, according to official reports.
The figure marks a 4.52 percent increase year on year during the annual holiday travel season, which ran from 2 February to 13 March.
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The travel rush at Spring Festival – as the Lunar New Year is also called – is widely considered the world’s largest annual human migration, with millions travelling home for family reunions during the holiday period. Nationwide, about 9.4 billion cross-regional trips were recorded during the same 40-day period.
Railways and airports hit new highs
Railways in Guangdong handled 56.68 million passenger trips, up 11.1 percent year on year, while provincially operated intercity railways carried 4.40 million passengers, a 22.83 percent increase and the highest volume recorded during the Spring Festival travel period.
On 13 February, railway departures across the province exceeded 2.04 million passengers, setting a new single-day record.
Civil aviation handled 11.54 million passengers, rising 8.38 percent from a year earlier. Passenger throughput at Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport reached 10.19 million, making it the first airport in China to surpass 10 million passengers during the Spring Festival travel rush.
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Highway travel remained the dominant mode of transport, with 1.088 billion road passenger trips recorded, while expressways handled about 310 million vehicle trips across the province. Traffic on the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge reached 674,400 vehicle trips, up 21.24 percent year on year.
Waterway transport carried 5.53 million passengers, with both the Pearl River cruise sector and the Qiongzhou Strait ferry route reporting record activity during the travel rush.
