33.57 mln Chinese travel by ship during Spring Festival traffic rush

Some 33.57 million long-distance ship trips were made by Chinese passengers during the 40-day Spring Festival traffic rush, said the Ministry of Transport (MOT) Thursday.

The figure was eight percent up from the same period the previous year, said He Jianzhong, spokesman with the MOT.

The latest figure, together with figures published Wednesday, showed a total of 2.56 billion long-distance trips by passengers on public transport vehicles were recorded during the Spring Festival traffic rush.

Some 2.29 billion long-distance bus trips were made by Chinese passengers during the traffic rush, up 8.7 percent year on year, said the MOT Wednesday.

A total of 29.02 million Chinese travelled by air during the Spring Festival traffic rush, up 12.8 percent year on year, said the Civil Aviation Administration of China Wednesday.

Some 204 million Chinese travelled by train during the Spring Festival traffic rush, said the Ministry of Railways Wednesday.

Spring Festival, or Chinese Lunar New Year, fell on Feb. 14 this year. It is the most important Chinese traditional festival for family reunions. Millions of Chinese journeyed across China during the 40-day rush period beginning Jan. 30.

Source:Xinhua