China tightens railway security checks for travel rush

Railway police said Tuesday they have handled 240,000 cases concerning inflammables, explosives and dangerous goods since the start of the Spring Festival holiday travel rush.

Police authorities under the Ministry of Railways seize large quantities of prohibited goods, such as controlled knives, firecrackers, paint and cigarette lighters, every year during the travel rush, the police said in a statement.

According to the statement, a total of 6,320 kg of chemicals, 14,000 controlled knives and 850,000 bags of firecrackers have been seized so far this year.

To strengthen security checks, railway departments across the country have introduced 2,883 security scanners and 2,377 security gates in railway stations. About 32,000 security guards have been deployed to scan luggage, the statement said.

A record 3.41 billion trips are expected to be made during this year's Spring Festival travel rush, according to the National Development and Reform Commission, the country's economic planner.

Spring Festival, one of China's most important holidays, begins on Feb. 10 this year. The holiday travel period spans from Jan. 26 to March 6.