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.

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.

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.

"Is this a hard-seat ticket?"

"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."

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.

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.

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."

The task has become more complicated since the 1990s, when colleges started to enlarge their enrolment.

The pressure can also be seen in other big railway stations.

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.

"My parents have prepared a lot of food I like. They are waiting for me. I'm quite excited." One student said.

The first travel peak is expected to last till Tuesday, and the next rush is believed to come in five days.

(CNTV January 10, 2012)