A total of 1,260 migrant workers who’ve been hard at work on
major construction sites in Beijing boarded a special train Monday
that’ll take them to their homes in central China in time for the
traditional?Spring Festival.
They’re the only passengers on the 18-carriage train and are due
to arrive in their hometown of Shiyan, Hubei Province, at 11:56 AM Tuesday.
"It’s a heartwarming move by the Beijing government," said Fu
Yanzhi, who has worked in Beijing for the past seven years. "It was
so difficult to get a homebound ticket before the Spring
Festival."
According to officials with the Beijing federation of trade
unions all the workers are employed on key projects including
Olympic facilities, a new airport and the city’s South Railway
Station.
The initiative will ensure migrant workers get home safely and
on time, according to officials.
Fu and his fellow workers are fortunate to have transport
organized for them. China's Spring Festival travel period started
on Saturday with the world's largest annual mass migration of
people.
Buying train tickets is a daunting task for those working in big
cities and eager to reunite with their families over the Spring
Festival.
The Ministry of Railways estimates they’ll transport 156 million
passengers--up 4.3 percent on last year--during the 40-day Spring
Festival period.?
?
(Xinhua News Agency February 6, 2007)
