Nearly 10 mln railway trips departing Beijing expected in Spring Festival travel rush

BEIJING, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- More than 9.93 million passenger trips are expected to be made on trains departing Beijing in the 40-day Spring Festival travel rush starting Saturday, said China Railway Beijing Group Co., Ltd.

The group is in charge of railway operations in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, as well as parts of east China's Shandong Province, central China's Henan Province, and north China's Shanxi Province.

The group said it is expected to handle nearly 21.6 million trips in those regions during the travel rush.

To render better service, the group has provided free over-the-counter medicines to passengers in need and has also been disinfecting waiting rooms, ticket halls, carriages, and other public places to ensure a clean, tidy, and healthy travel environment for passengers.

The Spring Festival travel rush, also known as "chunyun," lasts 40 days from Jan. 7 to Feb. 15 this year.