The three major railway stations in Beijing are expected to handle almost 10 million passengers during the upcoming Spring Festival travel season, an 18 percent rise year on year, authorities said on Wednesday.

At least 5.1 million tickets would be sold at the Beijing West Railway Station between January 11 and February 19, up 10 percent from a year earlier, said a spokesman with the Beijing Railways Bureau.

Meanwhile, a total of 4.8 million would be sold at the Beijing Railway Station and Beijing South Railway Station during the 40-day travel period, up 20.8 percent, the spokesman said.

The railway authorities in Beijing, one of the largest transport hubs in the country, would open more ticket offices, lengthen working hours and arrange additional trains to cope with the passenger surge, he said.

The Spring Festival, or the Lunar Chinese New Year, is a traditional occasion for family reunions, particularly for millions of migrant workers who work in cities and leave their families behind in the countryside. The Spring Festival falls on January 26 this year.

Railway stations across China expect to handle a record of 188 million passengers, up 8 percent year on year, the Ministry of Railways said earlier this month.

(Xinhua News Agency December 31, 2008)