760 trains added to cope with travel peak

As Beijing sees its first snowfall this year, snowstorms in Central and Eastern China continue to affect millions of travellers returning to work. Many passengers who had planned to travel by air and road have turned to trains.

Workers clear snow from tracks at the Zhengzhou Railway Station in Zhengzhou, central China's Henan Province, Feb. 6, 2014. (Xinhua/Zhao Peng)

Passenger flow has seen a 20 percent increase over Thursday in snow-affected areas. 760 trains have been added and high-speed trains have reduced speed for safety. The slowdown has caused a delay of more than 20 high-speed trains.


Twenty airports across the country have seen flight delays.

At the Xinzheng International Airport in Zhengzhou, the capital of Henan province, flights begin returning to normal following chaos erupted over flight cancellations and delays on Thursday night.
Thursday was the final day of the week-long Chinese Lunar New Year holiday. Tens of millions of people planned return to work from their hometowns. But snowstorms in Central and Eastern China disrupted many people’s travel plans. At the Xinzheng International Airport in Zhengzhou, the capital of Henan province, a chaos occurred Thursday night.

Endless waiting on a blizzard day.

It was the final day of the week-long Chinese lunar New Year holiday. People planned to return to work after reuniting with their families.

After five and half hours trapped at Zhengzhou’s Airport, 2000 passengers couldn’t bear it any more. A chaos occurred at the mid-night. Angry passengers began throwing water bottles and smashing bulletin boards.

“The airport was closed at 2:30 pm and more than 100 flights were delayed on Wednesday due to the snow. Passengers overreacted, and destroyed some facilities around mid-night. But they calmed down after we explained to them the situation.” Wang Erjun, director of Zhengzhou Xinzheng International Airport, said.

After the snow was cleared from the runways and the ice melted, the airport was re-opened at 10 pm on Thursday.

China Southern Airlines deployed 12 more airplanes to Zhengzhou to make sure the stranded passengers could leave as soon as possible.
So far, no outbound flights have been delayed.

“Over 2000 stranded passengers have already taken their flights. Based on the weather today, we will make sure the rest can leave as soon as possible.” Yang Xianli, Director of Henan Branch Of China Southern Airlines, said.

Bad weather is also putting pressure on other transportation systems. Slippery ice has forced dozens of highways in Hebei and Henan to close. The Zhengzhou Long Distance Bus Terminal has suspended two-thirds of its service, mainly to northern and eastern China.

 Railway stations are struggling as the holiday winds down. High speed trains had to lower their speed to 200 kilometers an hour from the usual 300. More temporary trains were added to get workers back to their jobs.

During every spring festival holiday, China’s transportation system has to undergo a challenge, as tens of millions of people are migrating. Services need to be improved for the travelers, while passengers also need to provide more understanding.

Workers clear snow from tracks at the Zhengzhou Railway Station in Zhengzhou, central China's Henan Province, Feb. 6, 2014.(Xinhua/Zhao Peng)

Workers clear snow from tracks at the Zhengzhou Railway Station in Zhengzhou, central China's Henan Province, Feb. 6, 2014. (Xinhua/Zhao Peng)