According to China Railway Ministry, the Spring Festival transport period in 2011 will last for totally 40 days, starting on Jan. 19, 2011 and ending Feb. 27, 2011. The ministry predicted the number of passengers will rise by 12.5 percent to 230 million during this year's Spring Festival travel rush, averaging 5.75 million passenger journeys per day.

The ministry showed that the travel peak will come earlier this year because the 2011 Spring Festival comes 11 days earlier than that of 2010. Before the Spring Festival there will be a greater flow of passengers in Beijing, Guangzhou, Shanghai and Hangzhou regions. After the Spring Festival, there will be increased pressure on the transportation systems in certain areas, including Chengdu, Chongqing, Wuhan, Nanchang, Hefei, Fuyang, Hunan regions and so on. As demand for tickets far exceeds supply, it is very difficult to get tickets during this period and the stations will be crowded beyond imagination.