Snowfall disrupts transport amid China's travel rush

An aerial drone photo shows snow sweeper clearing a road in Qingjiangpu District of Huai'an City, east China's Jiangsu Province, Feb. 4, 2024. Heavy snowfall has hit some areas of central and eastern China since Wednesday, leading to transport disruption amid the ongoing Spring Festival travel rush. (Photo by He Jinghua/Xinhua)

BEIJING, Feb. 4 (Xinhua) -- Heavy snowfall has enveloped some areas of central and eastern China since Wednesday, leading to transport disruption amid the ongoing Spring Festival travel rush.

The National Meteorological Center on Sunday renewed an orange alert for snowstorms in some parts of China, predicting heavy snow in provinces including Henan, Anhui, Jiangsu and Shandong.

In the eastern province of Anhui, over 95 highway toll stations have refused entry to vehicles as of Sunday morning, due to snowy and freezing conditions, causing inconvenience for many travelers during the travel surge known as "chunyun," which started on Jan. 26 and will end on March 5.

In Hefei, the provincial capital, authorities have closed three main coach stations while mobilizing more than 300 units of machinery and vehicles to clear snow.

In central China's Hubei Province, freezing rain and snow over the past few days have disrupted flights and railway traffic in several cities, including Wuhan, the provincial capital and a transportation hub.

According to the Hubei Airports Group Company, both runways at Wuhan Tianhe International Airport were closed from Saturday evening due to adverse weather. The airport initiated an emergency response for snow and ice removal early on Saturday morning, with the runways expected to resume operations on Sunday. Additionally, the airport in the province's city of Jingzhou has also been closed since Saturday.

China Railway Wuhan Bureau Group Co., Ltd. said on Sunday that it plans to suspend the operation of 141 round trips due to the widespread snowfall and freezing weather.

Meanwhile, the railway authority has organized nearly 3,000 employees to conduct snow removal at nearly 4,000 sets of railroad switches to ensure the smooth functioning of railway tracks.

"We have to use spray guns and then snow shovels," said Liu Hongpu, a staff member of the China Railway Wuhan Bureau Group Co., Ltd., who was seen using a hand-held gas burner to melt ice on railway tracks at a mountainous section of the Hefei-Wuhan Railway.

In the neighboring Hunan Province, authorities are trying to reach four villages in the city of Linxiang after fallen trees blocked roads and knocked out power supplies and telecommunication for more than 2,000 villagers.

Railway authorities in the province have imposed speed restrictions on the Chongqing-Xiamen and Zhangjiajie-Jishou-Huaihua high-speed railways, leading to delays for some trains. From Sunday to Monday, China Railway Guangzhou Group Co., Ltd. suspended 20 high-speed train services passing through the province.

An aerial drone photo taken on Feb. 4, 2024 shows volunteers and policemen cleaning snow from greenhouses for villagers at Hongze District in Huai'an, east China's Jiangsu Province. Heavy snowfall has hit some areas of central and eastern China since Wednesday, leading to transport disruption amid the ongoing Spring Festival travel rush. (Photo by Chen Kai/Xinhua)

Policemen and high-speed railway infrastructure workers patrol the railway in Huai'an City, east China's Jiangsu Province, Feb. 4, 2024. Heavy snowfall has hit some areas of central and eastern China since Wednesday, leading to transport disruption amid the ongoing Spring Festival travel rush. (Photo by Zhao Qirui/Xinhua)

A villager reinforces a greenhouse amid snowfall in Zhuwafang Village of Xiayi County, central China's Henan Province, Feb. 4, 2024. Heavy snowfall has hit some areas of central and eastern China since Wednesday, leading to transport disruption amid the ongoing Spring Festival travel rush. (Photo by Wang Gaochao/Xinhua)

A staff member drives a snow sweeper to clear a road in Haizhou District of Lianyungang City, east China's Jiangsu Province, Feb. 4, 2024. Heavy snowfall has hit some areas of central and eastern China since Wednesday, leading to transport disruption amid the ongoing Spring Festival travel rush. (Photo by Geng Yuhe/Xinhua)