Qingdao ready for Spring Festival travel rush

The Qingdao Airport City Terminal Transfer Service Center at the the Qingdao North Railway Station is put into operation on Jan 14. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

On Jan 14, the first day of the Spring Festival travel rush, Qingdao North Railway Station began implementing a pilot program for one-way exemption from security checks for passengers transferring from the railway to the subway. The Qingdao Airport City Terminal Transfer Service Center at the station was also put into operation simultaneously.

With the implementation of the new program, passengers arriving at the Qingdao North Railway Station by train can conveniently transfer to subway lines 1, 3, and 8 without needing to go through security. Passengers traveling between air and rail can handle aviation check-in, ticketing, inquiries, and other services at the Qingdao North Railway Station, achieving a high level of integration between air and rail services. The comprehensive transportation services at Qingdao North Railway Station have been upgraded.

Qingdao North Railway Station is a gateway hub of the city. In 2024, the daily arrivals and departures of passengers reached a peak of 200,000, with a record 93,000 arriving, making it one of the busiest high-speed rail stations in the province.

The implementation of the security check exemption pilot program for railway-to-subway transfers at Qingdao North Railway Station is expected to halve the transfer time and eliminate the hassle of depositing and retrieving luggage.

This year's Spring Festival travel rush spans 40 days from Jan 14 to Feb 22. It is estimated that the total outbound transportation passenger volume in the city will reach approximately 10.3 million, a 7.13 percent increase compared to 2024. The number of vehicles on the highways is expected to reach 299.603 million, a 5.79 percent increase from 2024.