BEIJING, Feb. 15 -- China's armed police are out in numbers across 246 train stations and airports nationwide to ensure a safe journey home for Spring Festival travelers, the police headquarters announced on Sunday.

The armed police are tasked with keeping order in densely-populated transportation hubs to prevent stampedes, crime and terrorist attacks.

Emergency plans have been drafted so police can spring into action the minute an attack happens, the headquarters said.

The busiest stations are heavily guarded, with nearly 1,000 armed police stationed at Beijing train stations and about 2,000 dealing with swarms of travelers departing from the southern metropolis Guangzhou.

Spring festival is China's most important holiday centering around family reunions. Hundreds of millions of people travel home during the holiday to spend time with their families. This year's festival falls on Feb. 19.

It is estimated that 2.807 billion trips will be made during the 2015 Spring Festival travel rush.