China's communications departments are actively preparing for the Spring Festival travel season which starts on January 21 and ends on February 29.

During these 40 days, over one billion people will return to their native homes for the traditional holiday season.

Some six million passengers are expected to take airplanes during the period, increasing by three percent that of the same period last year, according to the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC).

Some temporary flights will be added as needed based on passengers volume, and teachers and students will continue to enjoy preferential policies when buying tickets for their winter break, said one CAAC official.

Passenger transport volume on highways and along waterways willreach 1.47 billion, up 3.4 percent, according to the Ministry of Communications.

An official of the Ministry of Railways predicted that during this year's Spring Festival travel season railways will handle 128million passengers, averaging 3.22 million per day, and the estimated total volume will be five percent more than last year's figure.

To ensure that transportation services run on time, additional passenger trains will be in service. Ticket prices will also vary depending on demand in an attempt to control the amount of travel during the festive season.

The official also said that the country will further increase train speeds in October.

The "Spring Festival Season Transport," as it is called, includes transient laborers and college students returning home during their winter vacation. This year the Spring Festival, LunarNew Year Festival, an occasion for family reunion, falls on February 5.

In recent years, more and more people have been traveling during the Spring Festival period. According to sociologists, the "sea of humanity" that traverses the country during this period isdue to economic development and improved living conditions.

During this peak travel time, China's transportation system, chiefly the railroads, works especially hard to ensure that all traffic runs smoothly.