China braces for Spring Festival travel rush, with record 9 billion passenger trips expected

The Spring Festival travel rush, or chunyun, is set to break historical records this year, with an estimated 9 billion trips expected to be made across the country during the 40-day period from Jan. 14 to Feb. 22, officials said.　

This marks a nearly 7 percent increase from 2024, when the number of trips reached 8.4 billion.　

The 2025 chunyun period will see surges in rail and air travels. The number of rail passenger trips is expected to surpass 510 million, while civil aviation is set to handle 90 million trips, with both numbers reflecting increases over 2024 levels. Self-driving travel will remain the dominant mode of transportation.　

(Reported by Liu Chao; Edited by Zhou Jing)