At 5:34 am on February 2, the first high-speed train (G6701) for Beijing’s 2026 Spring Festival travel rush departed on time from Beijing West Railway Station, bound for Handan East Railway Station in North China's Hebei Province. The 2026 Spring Festival falls on February 17. The travel rush runs from February 2 to March 13, a total of 40 days. China Railway Beijing Group Co expects to carry 41.47 million passengers, an increase of 993,000 trips (up 2.5%) compared with 2025. The Beijing area is expected to send 19.947 million passengers, up 392,000 trips (2%) from 2025.