People queue up to buy long-distance tickets at a railway station in Shanghai.

Shanghai's transport networks are gearing up for the Spring Festival travel rush, which will run for 40 days from January 7 to February 15.

About 13.32 million passengers are expected to depart Shanghai, while the city will likely welcome over 12.76 million passengers during this period.

The railways will be the primary carrier of passenger traffic. About 18 million people will travel by trains, 6.5 million by flights, 1.55 million by intercity buses, and 20,000 through waterways, according to the city's transportation authorities.

About 306.5 round-trip passenger trains have been added to cope with the rush in the Yangtze River Delta region, according to the China Railway Shanghai Group.

The travel peak is estimated to fall on January 20, the day before Chinese New Year's Eve. On that day alone, about 650,000 passengers are predicted to depart Shanghai.

In addition to outbound transportation, in-city transportation will increase during the travel rush.

The daily average number of passengers traveling by Metro is predicted to hit 4.9 million, along with 2 million bus rides and 750,000 taxi-hailing services, the authorities said.

Shanghai's subway and bus systems will run extra trains and buses to cope with the return rush.

The authorities have stated that, in accordance with the most recent COVID-19 prevention and control rules, none of the transportation networks will check on health codes, PCR test results, or temperatures.

Travelers are still required to wear facial masks when taking public transportation.

This year's Spring Festival falls on January 22.

A railway staff worker helps passengers scan their ID cards to board the train.

Source: SHINE

Editor: Yang Meiping