This year's Spring Festival travel rush started on Jan 17 and is expected to last until Feb 25. The waiting hall of Guangzhou East Railway Station in Tianhe district has also become much busier than usual.

A total of 74 long-distance passenger trains departed from the Guangzhou East Railway Station on the day and an additional 24 trains passed by the railway station, handling 35,000 passengers.

It is expected that the railway station will transport 2.1 million passengers during the 40-day Spring Festival travel rush.

A volunteer helps a passenger use the self-service ticket machine at the Guangzhou East Railway Station. [Photo/WeChat account: tianhefabu]

To better carry out the epidemic control and prevention, the railway station requires all the passengers to check body temperature, show their health code, and wear a mask when entering the railway station.

In addition, the railway station ensured good ventilation in the closed areas and disinfected public places like the waiting hall, toilets, elevator handrails, seats, and self-service ticket machines.

To facilitate passengers' access in and out of the station, 16 entry channels and 18 security channels were set up to ensure that the check-in time and the security time will not exceed 15 minutes respectively.

The railway station also arranged officials and volunteers at areas like the self-service ticket machines and ticket gates to help elderly passengers.