On February 22, the sixth day of the Lunar New Year, the nine-day Spring Festival holiday period was nearing its conclusion. The Spring Festival return travel rush in the Yangtze River Delta region has maintained a growth trend in recent days. On February 21, approximately 2.913 million passenger trips were handled, an increase of 18.3% compared to the same period last year. It is estimated that 3.19 million passenger trips will be handled on February 22, representing a year-on-year growth of 15.3%. Since the beginning of this year's Spring Festival travel season, a cumulative total of 51.893 million passenger trips have been handled as of February 21, with a daily average of about 2.595 million passengers.
To actively manage the peak passenger flow, railway authorities have increased transportation capacity on key routes and during peak hours. For February 22, plans were made to add 584 additional passenger train services, including 378 long-distance services and 206 regional services, and to extend the formation of 366 bullet train sets. The additional services include 268 overnight high-speed rail trains. Specific additions include 73 services from Fuyang to destinations like Shanghai, Hangzhou, and Wenzhou; 25 services from Xuzhou to Shanghai and Nanjing; 33 services from Hefei to Hangzhou, Shanghai, Nanjing, Yichang, and Zhengzhou; and 13 services from Bengbu to Shanghai and Wenzhou.
On February 22, Shanghai's railway stations welcomed a peak in returning passenger flow, with outbound tourism traffic from Shanghai overlapping with the return travel rush, leading to continuously climbing arrival numbers. It is estimated that 862,000 arriving passengers were handled across Shanghai's main stations. The Minhang Branch of the Shanghai Public Security Bureau predicted that during the return peak from February 22 to 25, the average daily number of passengers arriving at Hongqiao Station would exceed 400,000. During the peak return hours from afternoon until late night, passenger flow at Hongqiao Railway Station consistently exceeded 20,000 people per hour. The utilization rate of the 22 temporary public vehicle pickup points on the ground level of the P9 parking garage has increased significantly compared to the period around Lunar New Year's Eve, with daily usage reaching 5,000 to 6,000 vehicle trips, and peaking at 8,000 trips during busy periods. Authorities are dynamically guiding vehicles in the temporary pickup area. When vehicles are waiting for passengers, they are directed to fixed parking spaces to ensure the main thoroughfare remains clear for immediate drop-offs and pick-ups, facilitating a rapid 'person-to-vehicle' flow. Travelers are advised to use underground passages or pedestrian bridges to exit the station before hailing a taxi. Those pre-booking ride-hailing services should confirm the exact pickup location to avoid delays.
Separately, on February 20, the fourth day of the Lunar New Year, Shanghai's airports set a new historical record for single-day passenger traffic, handling 424,900 passengers. Pudong Airport accounted for 275,700 passengers, while Hongqiao Airport handled 149,200. This figure represents a 6.4% increase compared to the same period in last year's Spring Festival travel season, marking a strong start to the new year. This year's Spring Festival travel season has seen sustained growth in passenger volume at Shanghai's airports, driven by factors such as the expansion of China's visa-free policy to include countries like Canada and the United Kingdom, alongside high demand for inbound and outbound tourism, northern ice and snow tours, and southern winter getaway travel. Express data shows that from the start of the travel season on February 2 through February 20, Shanghai's airports managed over 46,000 inbound and outbound flights, with Pudong Airport handling 31,000 flights and Hongqiao Airport handling 15,000, a 2.7% year-on-year increase. During this period, they facilitated the travel of 7.434 million passengers, with Pudong Airport handling 4.806 million and Hongqiao Airport handling 2.628 million, representing a 3.8% increase compared to the same period last year.
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