China’s extensive railway infrastructure is currently managing the most intense return migration period following the conclusion of the Spring Festival holiday season. According to the China State Railway Group Co Ltd., February 23rd marked the anticipated peak travel day, with projections indicating approximately 18.5 million passenger journeys throughout the national railway network on this single day.
This substantial passenger volume continues the pattern established on the previous day, which recorded nearly 18.3 million journeys. To accommodate this massive movement of travelers, railway authorities implemented significant capacity expansion measures, adding 2,297 extra trains to the regular schedule to meet the extraordinary demand.
Major metropolitan centers including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen experienced substantial bidirectional passenger flows, with both arrivals and departures reaching critical volumes simultaneously. Local railway departments across China have activated comprehensive service measures to maintain operational efficiency and passenger safety during this period of extreme congestion.
The 2026 Spring Festival, traditionally known as the Chinese New Year, occurred on February 17th, with the official holiday period spanning nine days beginning February 15th. This annual migration pattern represents the world’s largest periodic human movement, with hundreds of millions of Chinese citizens traveling to reunite with family before returning to their workplaces and cities of residence.