China witnessed unprecedented travel volumes during the final phase of the Spring Festival holiday period, with transportation networks nationwide experiencing record-breaking passenger flows as millions returned from holiday celebrations. Official data from the Ministry of Transport revealed Monday’s cross-regional journeys reached approximately 362.6 million trips, maintaining exceptionally high mobility levels following Sunday’s staggering 380.35 million trips—the highest single-day volume recorded during this year’s holiday season.
The 40-day Spring Festival travel period (chunyun), recognized as the world’s largest recurrent human migration, reached its midpoint on Saturday. Current projections indicate this year’s season will generate an unprecedented 9.5 billion cross-regional journeys, including approximately 540 million rail trips and 95 million air travel segments according to official estimates.
Rail transportation peaked on Monday with operators handling 18.5 million passenger trips nationwide. To accommodate the massive return flow, railway authorities implemented 2,297 additional services across the network. Major transportation hubs in Jiangxi and Fujian provinces enhanced their operational capacity by deploying extra security screening channels, additional ticket service counters, and supplementary staff throughout waiting areas and passenger service zones.
Road travel continued to dominate holiday mobility, with highway traffic exceeding 66 million vehicle trips as private car travel remained the preferred option for families. Air travel reached approximately 2.65 million passenger journeys, while waterways transported roughly 1.6 million travelers.
In Beijing, transportation authorities extended late-night subway operations and increased bus and taxi availability to manage sustained arrival flows at major stations and airports. Despite considerable passenger volumes, travelers reported orderly movement through transportation facilities, with staff providing assistance with directions and luggage handling.
Transportation flows are expected to remain elevated through Tuesday as normal work and school schedules resume nationwide following the conclusion of the nine-day public holiday period.