Passengers wait for their trains on Jan 26, 2024 at Xi'an North Railway Station in Xi'an, Shaanxi province. The Spring Festival travel rush began on Jan 26 and will last till March 5. (ZOU HONG / CHINA DAILY)

BEIJING / WUHAN - China is expected to experience a surge in inbound and outbound trips during the upcoming Spring Festival holiday, returning to the pre-pandemic levels in 2019, the National Immigration Administration (NIA) said on Sunday.

It is estimated that the Chinese mainland will see a daily average of 1.8 million inbound and outbound passenger trips during the holiday period from Feb 10 to 17 this year, an increase of approximately 3.3 times compared to last year, according to the NIA.

Sufficient personnel were deployed to ensure that Chinese citizens pass through customs queues in no more than 30 minutes, said the National Immigration Administration

The NIA estimates that the peak of passenger flow at major international airport ports will occur between Feb 8 and 11, as well as Feb 16 and 17, while the land ports adjacent to Hong Kong and Macao are expected to peak from Feb 11 to 15.

To facilitate efficient entries and exits during the holiday, border inspection agencies have been instructed to enhance the monitoring of passenger flows and release relevant information in a timely manner for travelers' reference.

Sufficient personnel were deployed to ensure that Chinese citizens pass through customs queues in no more than 30 minutes, added the NIA.

Additionally, border inspection agencies were asked to coordinate with relevant units and local departments to manage traveler diversion, extend customs clearance hours, and provide traffic support during peak hours.

Heavy snowfall 

Meanwhile, heavy snowfall has enveloped some areas of central and eastern China since Wednesday, leading to transport disruption in Hubei, Hunan and Anhui provinces amid the ongoing Spring Festival travel rush.

In east China's Anhui province, 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, also known as "chunyun," which started on Jan 26 and will end on March 5.

According to the Hubei Airports Group Company, both runways at Wuhan Tianhe International Airport were closed from Saturday evening due to adverse weather conditions. 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

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.

ALSO READ: Rare freezing weather to hit China's Spring Festival rush

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.

In the neighboring Hunan province, the railway authority 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.