Post-holiday return to big cities strains railways

China's rail sector is seeing another crush. As the Spring festival holiday winds down, people are returning to big cities to work, and college students are leaving home for the new semester.

Sunday saw 8 million rail trips nationwide. In the Southwest, Kunming, capital of Yunnan province, cold weather prompted people to travel by train rather than road or air.

In the South, Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong province, implemented contingency measures to cope with the increase. The rail station added about 60 self-service ticket-sale machines. Public transport around the station extended working hours.

In Chengdu, capital of Sichuan province, high-speed train tickets to major cities like Beijing, Shenzhen are all sold out. All that's left are standing tickets on ordinary trains.