学生们的回家之旅开始

The huge number of college students who need to travel home for the Spring Festival puts great pressure on the nation’s railways. As the travel rush begins, railway stations in big cities like Beijing, Guangzhou and Xi’an, have put into use extra trains only for students.
大量回家过春节的大学生为全国的铁路系统增加了巨大压力。随着春运的开始，北京、广州、西安等大城市的火车站将额外的学生专车投入使用。

At Xi’an railway station in Shaanxi Province, ten thousand passengers are expected to start their journey from here on Monday. College students make up a large portion of this.
在陕西省西安火车站，预计周一将有1万名乘客从这里启程回家。大学生占了大部分。

To tackle the travel peak, the first students-only-train has been put into use. The regular seating arrangement on the train has been changed to carry as many as 1,200 passengers at a time.
为了应对春运高峰期，第一列学生专车投入使用。火车上常规的座位安排被改成一次可以运送1200名乘客。

"Is this a hard-seat ticket?"
“这是硬座车票吗？”

"Yes, it is. During the travel rush, we have changed the hard-berths into hard-seats to increase the train’s transport capability. Follow me please, your seat is in the 11th carriage. There are temporary signs for each seat. The lower berths are now hard-seats. Each for four passengers. And the middle berth is for luggage. Your seat is near the passage. Here, this is your seat."
“是的，它是。春运期间，我们将硬卧改成硬座来提高火车的运输能力。请跟我来，你的座位在第11号车厢。每个座位都有临时标志。底层卧铺现在是硬座。四名乘客一个。中层卧铺是放行李的。你的座位在过道旁边。这里，这是你的座位。”

The train is heading for Yulin city, also in Shaanxi Province. The change makes the short-distance trip an option for an extra 200 students.
这列火车是开往榆林市的，也是在陕西省。这个改变让短途旅程的火车多运送200名学生。

Like many other big cities, the ancient city of Xi’an is the city of choice for many college students. As a result, the Xi’an railway station has always adjusted its ways to provide better service for students during the travel rush over the past three decades.
和其它很多大城市一样，古城西安是许多大学生的选择。因此，过去30年春运期间，西安火车站总在调整方式，为学生提供更好的服务。

Wang Yufen, Retired Worker of Xi'an Railway Station, said, "We have attached great importance to the transportation of students. Our station is an extremely busy one during Spring Festival. And our priority is to make ways for the students’ to travel home."
西安火车站退休工人Wang Yufen表示：“我们非常重视运送学生。我们的火车站在春节期间是非常繁忙一个。我们优先考虑的是为学生回家让路。”

The task has become more complicated since the 1990s, when colleges started to enlarge their enrolment.
自上世纪90年代高校开始扩招以来，这个任务变得更加复杂。

The pressure can also be seen in other big railway stations.
这种压力在其它大型火车站也可以看到。

In Beijing and Guangzhou, students can only access special trains. For them, going home for the Spring Festival is quite a joy after several months in college.
在北京和广州，学生可以搭乘专门列车。对他们来说，在大学待了几个月之后回家过年是一件乐事。

"My parents have prepared a lot of food I like. They are waiting for me. I’m quite excited." One student said.
一位学生称：“我的父母准备了很多我喜欢吃的东西。他们在等我。我很兴奋。”

The first travel peak is expected to last till Tuesday, and the next rush is believed to come in five days.
第一个高峰期预计将持续到周二，下一个交通繁忙期应该在5天后到来。