国内英语新闻:China enacts measures to ensure safety as annual travel rush begins

Hu said that to ensure safety, railway departments have stepped up the checks and maintenance of trains and railways, and they have drawn up contingency plans to cope with accidents and extreme weather conditions.

Hu said safety checks will continue to be conducted each night for bullet trains and high-speed rails to ensure safety even though he admitted high-speed trains will offer a longer service period in the night to meet the rising travel demand. "But safety will come first," he said.

Meanwhile, Liu Tienan urged more inspections on the operations of the nation's general transportation system and enhanced coordination between different government units to address travel challenges.

He Jianzhong, spokesman for the Ministry of Transport (MOT), also said during the press conference Sunday that the MOT had sent five inspection teams to carry out safety checks in 20 provincial-level regions prior to the start of the spring travel rush, known as "chunyun" in Chinese.

Local authorities have made nearly 13,000 contingency plans for coping with emergencies. Meanwhile, both professional and amateur rescue teams have been put in place, according to Wang Dexue, vice chief of the State Administration of Work Safety.

Wang also ordered local authorities to enhance inspections over the transportation of dangerous goods, including fireworks and chemicals.

China's civil aviation regulator said it has given the green light for domestic airlines to add 14,000 flights to meet massive passenger flow during the peak travel season.

Xia Xinghua, deputy director of the Civil Aviation Administration of China, said a coordination system between airlines, airports and aviation regulators has been set up to ensure the smooth and safe running of flights in case of freezing rain or heavy snow.

The traditional Chinese Spring Festival, or "chunjie" in Chinese, is the country's most important festival. It falls on Jan. 23 this year.