BEIJING - A total of 4.8 billion inter-regional passenger trips were estimated to be made across China from Jan 14 to Feb 2, the first half of the 40-day Spring Festival travel rush.

The figure represents a 7.2 percent increase from the same period last year, according to a special work team established to facilitate sound operations during the Spring Festival travel rush, also known as chunyun.

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Passenger flows have surged since Jan 30, with daily trips exceeding 300 million on Jan 31 and Feb 1, both surpassing last year's levels, according to a research and development center under the Ministry of Transport, adding that the trend is expected to continue during the holiday period.

On Feb 2 alone, an estimated 319.32 million trips will be made, with highways accounting for the largest share at 301.02 million trips, according to the special work team.

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A record-breaking 9 billion trips are expected to be made during chunyun in 2025 which will end on Feb 22. The Spring Festival, an occasion for family reunions, fell on Jan 29 this year.