Road passengers up in first 4 days of 'chunyun'

Passengers carrying bags walk outside the Shanghai Railway Station, east China's Shanghai, Jan. 18, 2014. A long-distance-journey on train can't discourage people's longing for reunion with family members during the Chinese Lunar New Year. They tried all means to get a ticket heading back for hometown ahead of the festival. (Xinhua/Pei Xin)

Chinese passengers has made 324 million road trips in the first four days of "chunyun," a 40-day period around the Spring Festival, up 3.4 percent year on year, data from transport authority showed Sunday.

Road passengers, those on long-distance scheduled coaches, charted buses or tour coaches, rose 4.5 percent year on year to 83.86 million on Sunday, according to the Ministry of Transport (MOT).

The ministry has forecast that Chinese passengers will make 3.62 billion trips during this year's chunyun, with road trips reaching 3.2 billion.

The Spring Festival, or lunar new year, is the country's most important traditional holiday for family reunions. Most people will go home for the festival, putting great pressure on the transportation system.

The coming lunar new year falls on Jan. 31. This year's chunyun, literally translated as "spring transportation", will run from Jan. 16 to Feb. 24.