The 2026 Spring Festival travel rush, which lasted 40 days from February 2 to March 13, has come to a close. Several key indicators for Hunan's transportation sector hit record highs. The total traffic volume at expressway gateways reached 156 million vehicle trips, a year-on-year increase of 9.63%. The Changsha South Railway Station saw daily passenger trips exceeding 150,000 for 12 consecutive days, setting a new single-day record during the Spring Festival travel rush.

Traffic data on expressways were impressive, with inter-provincial vehicle trips reaching 29.698 million, an increase of 8.95% year over year. The single-day peak on the sixth day of the first lunar month hit 8.486 million, up 18.6% from the historical peak. Demand for new energy vehicle (NEV) travel rose significantly, with total NEV entry and exit traffic flows reaching 16.84 million, surging over 30% year over year. On ordinary highways, customized passenger transport performed exceptionally well, making a cumulative total of 1.189 million passenger trips, a nearly 40% growth year over year.

Increased passenger flow was seen on railways. Zhijiang, Shaoshan South, Xupu South, and Hengshan West stations successively set new passenger volume records for Spring Festival travel season. Yueyang East, Hengyang East, Huaihua South, Zhuzhou West, and Loudi South stations continuously set new passenger volume records during the season. On February 21, the 18 stations under Hunan's jurisdiction handled a total of 397,000 passenger trips, surpassing the previous peak of 358,000 passenger trips set on February 5, 2025, and hitting an all-time high for the Spring Festival travel rush.

With more frequent flights and more attentive service, the Air Travel operated 2,745 flights during the Spring Festival travel rush. The airline focused on increasing frequencies on routes such as Changsha to Mangshi and Hailar—popular destinations for "winter sports" and "warm winter" travel—and added special "reverse reunion" flights. Throughout the Spring Festival travel rush, the airline organized themed flights and charitable activities at nursing homes. The call center remained on duty 24 hours a day to provide comprehensive, caring services for elderly passengers and unaccompanied minors.

This article is from the Hunan Provincial Government www.enghunan.gov.cn. 

Translator: Yu Jiangjiang

Chinese source: hunan.gov.cn