The National Day holiday was marked by crisp autumn weather, and the demand for autumn trekking, visiting relatives, and traveling far distances was released in full force. According to statistics from the Ministry of Transport, from October 1st to 7th, the cumulative cross-regional travel volume of the whole society reached 2.003 billion trips, with a daily average of 286 million trips, representing a 3.9% increase compared to the same period in 2023. Transportation departments across the country strengthened the provision of transportation services, improved the quality of services such as parking, toilets, fueling, and catering, and provided targeted care services for special groups such as the elderly, young, sick, disabled, and pregnant women. Additionally, law enforcement presence has been bolstered at major tourist attractions, transportation hubs, stations, and congested road segments, all in an endeavor to foster a favorable travel environment.
Multi-Party Collaboration Ensures Traffic Flow and Smoothness
During the National Day holiday, traffic volumes on the country's major highways and national roads continued to operate at high levels. The cumulative number of non-commercial passenger vehicle travelers on highways and ordinary state and provincial roads exceeded 1.58 billion people, placing significant pressure on traffic safety management and the need to ensure smooth traffic flow.
In response to the situation, the transportation authorities in Anhui intensified their collaboration and coordination efforts across multiple parties. A joint meeting was convened with the participation of the public security traffic police, meteorological departments, and other pertinent agencies, adopting the theme of "Multiple Parties Collaborating Along the Entire Journey." Additionally, a highway travel service guide for the Changjiang River Delta region, encompassing Shanghai, Zhejiang, Jiangsu, and Anhui (the "three provinces and one city"), was jointly issued. To guarantee the swift and smooth movement of vehicles, large toll stations implemented a range of measures which included diverting passenger and cargo traffic separately, utilizing tidal lanes, and adopting series-type multi-lane tolling arrangements.
During the holiday period, with no driving restrictions in place and the additional benefit of free highway passage, a significant number of individuals in Beijing, Tianjin, and Hebei opted for self-driving tours. Consequently, certain stretches of major highways, including the Beijing-Chengde, Beijing-Tibet, Beijing-Hong Kong and Macao, Beijing-Kaifeng, and Beijing-Shanghai Expressways, are prone to slow traffic situations. To address this, Beijing's highway management authorities bolstered their service guarantees, ensuring a 100% lane opening rate during peak hours. Additional standby staff were deployed, rescue equipment was positioned upfront, and patrols and inspections were intensified. In cases of traffic accidents, swift collaboration with traffic police ensured rapid clearance and handling. Meanwhile, Hebei rigorously enforced the free passage policy for minibuses and tourist buses. Based on the principle of "tailored measures for each station (or road segment)", work plans were formulated to alleviate congestion and ensure smooth travel. Every effort was made to guarantee an efficient, seamless, and comfortable journey for all drivers and passengers.
Facing the peak return traffic, Jiangsu’s transportation departments have been fully mobilized to ensure smooth road network scheduling, transport organization, safety emergency responses. The province has set up 349 emergency rescue stations, 43 accident quick response points, 28 “harbor-style rescue stations”, more than 200 convenience service points, over 100 mobile service posts, 202 charging points, 1299 charging piles, 1735 charging guns, and 20 mobile charging vehicles. A total of 6794 emergency personnel are on standby to ensure effective transport services during the return rush.
During the seven-day holiday, China saw 130 million railway passenger trips, achieving historic highs for single-day passenger traffic and other key indicators. The railway sector maximized transportation capacity to ensure smooth passenger travel. The China Railway Zhengzhou group has fully leveraged its high-speed rail network with the shape of 米 (mǐ) to meet demand by adding temporary trains, operating EMU train reconnection, attaching additional carriages to regular trains, and running nighttime high-speed services. It has increased the transportation capacity between key areas, popular directions, and tourist cities in a timely manner , with an average of 1,336 passenger trains operating daily. In Jiangsu, the railway sector adjusted schedules based on passenger flow, implemented a precise “one day, one schedule” approach, and increased seating capacity on popular routes.
During the National Day holiday this year, Ro/Ro ships in Qiongzhou Strait adopted a “fixed schedule + additional services” model, and launched the “shared crew” mechanism to achieve “crew rest, ship not rest”. A total of 1,625 voyages were made between four ports in Guangdong and Hainan, with 130,000 transportation vehicles and 439,800 passengers. The maritime sector promoted the integration of ship traffic organization in the Qiongzhou Strait, fully implemented the new organization model for Ro/Ro ships on the north bank, and improved vessel turnaround efficiency.
Considerate services were burgeoning.
The Shi'an Branch of Hebei Expressway Group has launched a live broadcast of road conditions to provide real-time updates for drivers and passengers. Anhui has set up free shower facilities for truck drivers at more than 40 service areas across the province. In Chongqing, 132 temporary tourist and shuttle bus routes were added, seamlessly connecting 28 key transportation hubs in the central city area to meet tourists' needs for “dining, entertainment and shopping”. Shanghai has introduced intelligent mobile charging robots in several highway service area charging stations to alleviate peak-time charging congestion... The transportation departments in various regions are providing a wealth of considerate services, continuously improving the travel experience of the masses.
“Unexpectedly, I could take a break at the service area and shop at a market without leaving the highway. I could buy famous local specialties from Shanxi,” Mr. Liu, a tourist heading to Datong, praised the Daying Service Area in Shanxi. “The variety of goods here is complete, and the prices are the same as those in supermarkets and online malls. It's really convenient!” During the National Day holiday, Shanxi Communication Holding Group displayed and sold more than 400 types of famous and superior local products in 101 pairs of highway service areas across the province. They also organized traditional folk performances such as yangko dance and Jin Opera, as well as displays of folk arts such as shadow puppetry and paper cutting.
To better meet the travel needs of various passenger groups during the holiday, Jinan Yaoqiang International Airport in Shandong launched an online passenger service platform, comprehensively displaying various service information such as flight updates, baggage security, transportation connections, commercial facilities, and complaints, realizing “one platform” to provide “whole-chain and integrated” service guarantees for passengers. Special attention was given to elderly, young, sick, disabled, pregnant passengers, unaccompanied children, first-time flyers. One-stop services such as flight guidance, baggage handling, wheelchair reservations, and green channels were offered, effectively solving problems and doing practical things for special passengers.
Source from: China Traffic News