Transport authorities have taken contingency measures to ensure the smooth movement of people during the world`s largest annual migration that started on Saturday, but train tickets are still hard to get because of the gap between supply and demand.
上周六，一年一度、全球最大规模迁徙的春运正式拉开序幕。尽管交通部门已采取了应急预案来确保春运旅客的顺畅出行，但供求之间巨大的缺口仍使得火车票一票难求。Railway authorities will arrange 1,242 more trains every day on average during the 40-day peak travel season around the Lunar New Year holiday to meet the needs of an increasing number of migrant workers, the Ministry of Railways said on its website on Sunday.
上周日，铁道部在其官网上发布消息称，在长达40天的春运期间，平均每日将加开列车612对，以满足日益庞大的外来务工群体的乘车需要。A record 3.4 billion trips are expected to be made during this year`s Lunar New Year travel rush, which lasts for 40 days from Jan 26 to March 6, as Chinese return home for family reunions during the Spring Festival holiday.
春节是一个回家团聚的日子。今年春运从1月26日开始至3月6日截止，持续40天时间，预计出行人次将达34亿，再创历史新高。
The country`s rail network is expected to handle 225 million trips, while long-distance buses will complete 3.1 billion passenger trips, which combine to account for 99 percent of the overall national capacity, according to the National Development and Reform Commission.
国家发改委表示，全国铁路系统预计发送旅客2.25亿人次，长途客运旅客运输量将达到31亿人次，两项合计占到全国客运能力总的99%。Transport authorities across China should improve contingency plans targeting bad weather such as extreme low temperature, fog and heavy snow, Feng Zhenglin, vice-minister of transport, said ahead of the peak travel season.
交通部副部长冯正霖在春运高峰前表示，全国交通运输部门要针对春运期间可能出现的冰冻、极寒、雾霾、大雪等极端恶劣天气，完善春运应急运输预案。Chinese have traditionally favored road and train transportation, especially trains, for their safety and lower prices
中国人习惯通过公路、铁路出行，而火车以其安全性高、价格低廉等特点成为大众出行的首选。With a large number of people traveling during the period, getting a ticket, especially a train ticket, has been difficult every year. People often have to wait in long queues in railway stations, even over night.
每年春运期间，巨大的客流造成一票难求的景象，火车票尤其如此。人们不得不在火车站外排起长龙，甚至是整夜排队。To help migrant workers get train tickets, railway authorities have encouraged them to buy tickets in groups (normally with 10 or more people) so they can get tickets before the official date when tickets begin to be released, the Ministry of Railways said.
铁道部称，为帮助外来务工人员购票返乡，铁路部门鼓励他们以团体形式购票（一般不少于10人），这样他们可在车票预售期前买到车票。"In the past I usually bought train tickets at the railway station or its official agents, but now I always buy at home on my computer," said Wang Ying, a white-collar worker from East China`s Anhui province, who works in Beijing.
“过去我一般在火车站或售票点买票，但现在我都在家里网上订票。”从安徽来京工作的白领王颖（音译）说。"It saves me a lot of time. But still I found it very difficult to get a ticket before the Spring Festival, and all the tickets to my hometown seemed to be gone in a flash after they started selling online."
“这省下不少时间。但我还是觉得春节前一票难求，网上刚一开始放票，所有到我家的车票就被瞬间抢光了。”Despite the convenience of online buying, many migrant workers, who often lack basic computer skills, found it hard to get a ticket online.
尽管网络订票方便快捷，但对于许多不具备电脑基本常识的外来务工人员来说，网络订票可谓困难重重。Li Jun, a migrant worker who works in a restaurant in Beijing, said he finally got a ticket back home to Chengdu, Sichuan province, after visiting the Beijing Railway Station several times.
在北京某餐馆打工的李俊（音译）说，他跑了好几趟火车站，终于买到一张回成都老家的车票。"I heard it`s easier to get a ticket booking on the computer, but I don`t know how to use the computer," he said. "Luckily, I live near the railway station, so I can keep coming here to try and finally I got one."
“我听说在网上订票更方便，但是我不会用电脑。”他说，“幸好我住得离火车站很近，可以多来几次试试运气，终于买到了票。”"It has always been very difficult to buy train tickets in recent years, not only for migrant workers, but also for all other groups such as white-collar workers," said Liu Xiao, a researcher in Beijing`s Anbound Consultancy.
“这几年火车票都很难买，不只是外来务工人员，包括白领在内的其他人群也是一票难求。”北京安邦咨询公司的研究员刘晓（音译）如是说。"The root cause is the gap between supply and demand of train travel services," Liu said. "So we cannot blame the online booking for causing some migrant workers difficulty buying tickets."
“根本原因在于铁路运输服务供求之间的差距。”刘晓说，“因而我们不能将一些外来务工人员买不到票归咎于网络售票系统。”Despite the great development of the railway network, China`s railway capacity still cannot meet the surging demand during the peak traffic season, due to billions of trips being made within a very short period of time, an official of the Ministry of Railways told Xinhua.
铁道部的一位官员在接受新华社采访时表示，尽管铁路系统发展迅速，但因为要在短时间内发送几十亿人次的旅客，国内铁路运载力在出行高峰期仍难以满足旅客暴增的需要。"In the long run, balanced economic development among different regions can help reduce the need for immigration and can ultimately ease competition for buying train tickets during the Spring Festival period," said Liu.
“从长远角度来讲，不同区域间经济的均衡发展可以降低人口流动的需求，并最终缓解春节期间的购票压力。”刘晓说。