Snowfall disrupts transport in central, eastern China amid travel rush

A worker uses heated deicing fluid to remove ice and snow from an aircraft at Wuhan Tianhe International Airport in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, Feb. 5, 2024.

In central China's Hubei Province, freezing rain and snow over the past few days have disrupted flights and railway traffic in several cities, including the provincial capital Wuhan, which is an important transportation hub.

According to the Hubei Airports Group Company, both runways at Wuhan Tianhe International Airport were once closed on Saturday evening due to adverse weather, with 385 flights canceled by 7 p.m. Sunday.

The airport initiated an emergency response for snow and ice removal early on Saturday morning, successfully reopening two runways on Sunday noon and Monday morning, respectively. (Xinhua/Cheng Min)

WUHAN, Feb. 4 (Xinhua) -- Heavy snowfall has enveloped some areas of central and eastern China since Wednesday, leading to transport disruption in Hubei, Hunan and Anhui provinces amid the ongoing Spring Festival travel rush.

In east China's Anhui Province, over 95 highway toll stations have refused entry to vehicles as of Sunday morning, due to snowy and freezing conditions, causing inconvenience for many travelers during the travel surge, also known as "chunyun," which started on Jan. 26 and will end on March 5.

According to the Hubei Airports Group Company, both runways at Wuhan Tianhe International Airport were closed from Saturday evening due to adverse weather conditions. The airport initiated an emergency response for snow and ice removal early on Saturday morning, with the runways expected to resume operations on Sunday. Additionally, the airport in the province's city of Jingzhou has also been closed since Saturday.

China Railway Wuhan Bureau Group Co., Ltd. said on Sunday that it plans to suspend the operation of 141 round trips due to the widespread snowfall and freezing weather.

Meanwhile, the railway authority has organized nearly 3,000 employees to conduct snow removal at nearly 4,000 sets of railroad switches to ensure the smooth functioning of railway tracks.

In the neighboring Hunan Province, the railway authority imposed speed restrictions on the Chongqing-Xiamen and Zhangjiajie-Jishou-Huaihua high-speed railways, leading to delays for some trains. From Sunday to Monday, China Railway Guangzhou Group Co., Ltd. suspended 20 high-speed train services passing through the province.