China is expected to see a record 9 billion passenger trips during the annual Spring Festival travel rush as people return home for the Lunar New Year.

The period, known as Chunyun, is the largest human migration in the world. This year it runs from January 26 to March 6.

Speaking at a press conference, Vice Minister of Transport Li Yang noted that while more than 1.8 billion trips are expected to be made by traditional modes such as rail, road and air, 7.2 billion trips are expected to be made by private cars.

An average of 37.2 million vehicles are expected to use the highway network each day.

The peak will be on February 17, when the holidays end and many people return to work. More than 65 million vehicles are expected to use the country's highways.

Li urged people to make travel plans in advance.

He added that the authorities are confident they can handle this "test" as they have contingency plans for emergencies such as bad weather.