China's top economic planner has said about 2.98 billion trips are expected to be made during the 2018 Spring Festival travel rush between February 1st and March 12th, nearly the same as last year. Train trips are likely to top 389 million during the period, up 8.8 percent year on year. Air travel will likely top 65 million trips, surging 10 percent from last year, while trips by boat are predicted to reach 46 million during the period. Transportation authorities are prepared for the travel rush, as hundreds of millions of Chinese go back to their home towns or travel around the country, putting huge pressure on the transportation system.