The annual travel rush for China's Lunar New Year celebrations officially began on Tuesday, with many taking a mental break from their worries about the future to reunite with family or take a holiday.

STORY: China’s holiday travel rush got into full swing Tuesday. The 40-day Spring Festival saw airports and trains stations packed with travelers. After a total 8.4 billion trips last year, authorities predict 2025 will see a record 9 billion domestic journeys.

China State Railway Group Co., Ltd. plans to operate more than 14,000 passenger trains daily, providing an additional 500,000 seats per day. Ahead of the Spring Festival travel rush, a total of 185 new Fuxing bullet trains have been put into service nationwide, capable of reaching speeds of up to 350 kilometers per hour.

Hundreds of millions of Chinese criss-cross the country during the Lunar New Year holidays each year to reunite with families back in their hometowns or for sight-seeing during an extended festive period,

China's 2025 Spring Festival travel rush began on Tuesday, as people traveled home or went on trips for the Lunar New Year holiday. The country’s railway network is expected to transport 510 million passengers during the travel rush,