Hu told a national video conference on passenger transport that the ministry arranged to have 24 percent more temporary trains this year than last to cope with the peak passenger flow.

According to the ministry, China's passenger flow during the 2006 spring travel season is expected to hit 2.042 individual trips. An estimated 144 million persons will travel by train, averaging 3.6 million per day.

The 40-day-long traditional spring festival travel season will start on January 14 and end on February 22, occurring prior and after the Spring Festival, which falls on Jan. 29. Enditem