China handled around 41.77 million passenger trips on Saturday, the first day of the 2024 New Year holiday, up 73.3 percent from last year, according to the Ministry of Transport.

The country's national railway system hosted an estimated 15.8 million passengers on Saturday, while around 23.49 million people traveled by road, 1.88 million by plane and another 600,000 by boat.

In addition, the Ministry of Public Security said that China saw smooth road traffic on Saturday. 

There were no traffic accidents with a single death toll of over five as of 6 p.m. on Saturday, said the ministry, adding that the total traffic volume from 6 p.m. on Friday to 6 p.m. on Saturday saw a 3.85 percent increase from 2022 and a 24.71 percent increase from 2019, based on expressway traffic data.

Coping with high passenger flows

Railway authorities across China have taken measures to increase capacity for passengers and cargo to cope with high passenger flows during the 2024 New Year holiday. 

Beijing South Railway Station optimized entry routes and opened all security checkpoints during peak periods to facilitate quick and convenient access for passengers on Saturday. 

Zhang Xiao, a staff member at Beijing South Railway Station, told China Media Group (CMG) that "we opened the underground entrance halls for both the Beijing-Shanghai High-speed Railway and the Beijing-Tianjin Intercity Railway. The opening and closing times will be dynamically adjusted based on the passenger flow."

There was heavy fog in some parts of the country on the day, and many passengers chose to travel by train rather than risk delays at airports. 

Zibo Railway Station in east China's Shandong Province opened additional manual entry channels and strengthened passenger flow guidance based on the situation on Saturday. 

Yu Jinjie, a staff member at Zibo Railway Station, told CMG that "we have implemented driving measures for foggy weather and passenger flow organization plans to ensure travel safety of the passengers."

In addition, the current cold waves have prompted local railway departments to step up efforts to ensure the transportation of coal for power generation and heating during the New Year Holiday.

"We accurately monitor the operation status of trains, reduce the preparation time in locomotive depots, dynamically allocate personnel and vehicle resources, and make every effort to ensure the transportation of key goods such as coal," said Yue Xiufeng, director of the safety production command center at China Railway's Xinxiang Locomotive Depot in Zhengzhou City of Henan Province.