Passengers line up to board a train at Lanzhouxi Railway Station. [Photo/Gansu Daily]

The 2026 Spring Festival travel rush commenced on Feb 2, as people working away from home began their journeys back for family reunions. Major transportation hubs across Gansu province experienced peak passenger flows, with inter-regional trips in the province projected to reach 132 million during the travel period.

On the first day, stations such as Lanzhouxi Railway Station and Tianshunan Railway Station were bustling with travelers. China Railway Lanzhou Bureau expects to handle 11.1 million passenger trips during the rush, a 5.9 percent year-on-year increase. To manage peak flow, the bureau has added 55.5 pairs of temporary trains and is operating 34 pairs of peak-hour trains. Leveraging big data from the 12306 platform, it dynamically allocates transport capacity to precisely match supply with demand, striving to meet passengers' travel needs.

This year marks the first Spring Festival travel rush since the opening of Terminal 3 at Lanzhou Zhongchuan International Airport, which is projected to handle over 2 million passenger trips and 14,100 aircraft movements. The airport has increased flight frequency to popular destinations such as Beijing, Guangzhou, and Shanghai, and has deployed wide-body aircraft on key routes to boost capacity. 

Across the province, transportation authorities have implemented multiple measures to ensure smooth travel. Operators have optimized ticketing processes, simplified entry and exit procedures, and improved security check efficiency, all aimed at ensuring safe and comfortable journeys for every passenger.