7.58 million train trips made on Saturday

BEIJING - About 7.58 million train trips were made on Saturday, the ninth day of the Chinese lunar year, up 10 percent year on year, said the China Railway Corporation (CRC) on Sunday.

The CRC forecast 7.51 million trips on Sunday.

Passengers mostly are returning to work from reunions with families in their home towns after the lunar New Year, which fell on January 31 and a seven-day holiday which ended on February 6.

The travel rush coincides with snowstorms in central and eastern regions.

The National Meteorological Center on Sunday evening lifted a blue alert for blizzards, the lowest alert in the four-grade system.

Most railways have resumed normal speeds after the CRC lowered the speed limits for some sections of high-speed lines from more than 300 km per hour to 200 km per hour.

Some high-speed sections, including those between Zhengzhou and Xi'an and between Xi'an and Baoji, will still run at reduced speed.

China's transport system is often put to the test during "Chunyun," which literally means "Spring Festival transport," the 40-day travel period around the Spring Festival.

About 3.62 billion trips are expected to be made via all modes of transportation during the 40-day season, which started in mid-January.