Beijing railway stations saw the first peak of passenger flow after the Spring Festival as people began to return to their work places.

The Beijing Railway Station and Beijing West Railway Station, the city's two major railway stations, reported 120,000 and 130,000 passengers respectively on Friday, according to railway authorities on Saturday. The flow of returning passengers started to increase from Thursday.

Most passengers returned to Beijing after spending the Spring Festival with family members in their hometowns, while the passenger flow peaks of migrant rural workers are expected after February 12.

Beijing railway stations have added more exits while the two major ones even gave up ticket examination to speed up passenger outflow.

In order to cope with the passenger flow peak, bus routes around railway stations have arranged more vehicles to transport passengers, and two routes have extended their business hours to provide 24-hour services.

According to the tradition, the Chinese people return home for family reunion to observe the Spring Festival, or the Chinese Lunar New Year, which has posed a challenge to transportation networks.

(Xinhua News Agency February 5, 2006)