Beijing kicks off spring festival transport
| Crowded passengers try to squeeze their ways to check-in counters at the Beijing West Railway Station on Friday, Jan 20, 2007. |
| Jan.20 - A packed temporary passenger train set off from Beijing West Railway Station on Friday afternoon, as the transport peak for the 2007 Spring Festival kicked off.
Beijing Morning News reports the L-69 train carried more than 1,600 passengers, mostly college students and migrant workers. It is bound for Hefei in the Anhui Province. The train has 46 experienced stewards, as well as two policemen to deal with security. Beijing West Stations says it will introduce more temporary trains to ease the congestion caused by the soaring numbers of passengers. Commuter numbers have increased as the Spring Festival approaches. Around 90,000 passengers are currently catching trains at the station every day, 15,000 more than usual. The station said the most sought-after destinations are in the Sichuan, Anhui and Jiangxi provinces, the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and the cities of Urumqi, Lhasa and Chongqing.
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