Record train trips made in heavy snow

BEIJING - Chinese travelers made over eight million railway trips in heavy snowfall on Thursday, the last day of the week-long holiday.

Some 8.36 million trips were made nationwide, up 16.3 percent year on year and marking the largest-ever daily human flow in the history of "chunyun" or passenger transportation during the Spring Festival holiday, China's traditional holiday for family reunions.

A total of 137.55 million train trips had been made as of Thursday since January 16, up 13.5 percent compared to the corresponding period last year, data from railway authorities showed on Friday.

To guarantee travelers reached their destinations, China's railway authorities planned to add 760 more trains on Friday, the first workday after the holiday. Authorities expect the number of trips around the country to remain at the eight-million level on Friday.

On February 2, snow hit most of the country's northern regions, overlapping the peak travel period of the holiday that ended Thursday.

By Friday morning, the snow had delayed more than 100 high-speed trains and closed 64 highways in eight provinces.

Railway authorities have adopted emergency measures including capping train speeds and increasing efforts in removing ice and snow from rails to ensure safety.

Small to medium snowfall was expected on Friday in Beijing, Hebei, Henan, Anhui and Shaanxi provinces, as well as Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, while heavy snow was likely in some regions.