Train stations and airports across China saw the biggest peak in travellers on Saturday ahead of the Lunar New Year, as millions of people returned home to spend the holidays with their families in an annual migration that is expected to be a record.

The Chinese New Year, the Year of the Snake, begins on Wednesday.

The Chinese enjoy eight consecutive public holidays, an opportunity to share festive meals with family, attend traditional performances or set off firecrackers and fireworks.

At Beijing West Station, an AFP journalist saw thousands of travellers on Saturday wrapped up in parkas, many wearing face masks to avoid catching anything on packed trains, dragging their suitcases through the hallways before boarding the carriages.

During the traditional 40-day period that runs before, during and after the holidays, some nine billion interprovincial passenger trips, on all forms of transport combined, are expected to be made, according to the official Xinhua news agency.

Train and air travel are expected to “hit record highs” during this year’s migration, Xinhua said.

The transport ministry said it expects 510 million train trips and 90m air trips during the period.

According to the national railway company, which has added thousands of trains to meet demand, Saturday is “the main peak” at stations before the holidays.

It said it used data from ticket sales and waiting lists to predict and regulate supply.

With many people working and studying in provinces other than their own because of better opportunities, there is a large population migration around the New Year holiday.

Many factories have already closed for the holiday, with such workers traditionally returning home earlier than the rest of the population.

While train travel was still an epic journey even 10 years ago, sometimes lasting several days, the rapid development of an efficient and comfortable high-speed network has made travel much simpler.