Spring festival return travel rush begins

As the Spring Festival holiday nears its end, transportation authorities are gearing up for the travel rush. They have optimized their transportation capacity for travellers from all over the country who start to make their way back to work.

People queue up to buy tickets at a railway station in Shenyang, capital  of northeast China's Liaoning Province, on Feb. 18, 2010. Coach and railway terminals in major Chinese cities are bracing for a fresh travel rush, as  millions of festival travelers set foot on return trips to city work after the week-long Spring Festival holiday. (Xinhua/Jiang Tieying)

Beijing, one of the cities that receive China's largest influx of migrant workers, confronted its first return trip rush on Thursday. Railway stations have initiated special plans for the returning travelers, including adding 18 temporary trains.

In the vast western region, railway stations have carried out an identification policy for each passenger, similar to a flight check-in process. This prolongs the waiting time in the train stations.