Public transport

*China officially ushered in its largest annual population migration on Friday, with record-breaking journey numbers expected. *Public transport operators around the country have hunkered down for the upcoming challenges brought by the annual transport peak. *With the record-high migration unfolding, this year's Spring Festival holiday is set to experience not only a stunning number of people flow, but also a vibrant consumption revival boosted by the prosperous tourism market. BEIJING, Jan. 26 ( tasteallchina ) -- China officially ushered in its largest annual population migration on Friday, 15 days ahead of the Spring Festival, or the Lunar New Year, with record-breaking journey numbers expected. An estimated 9 billion passenger trips are likely to be made during the 2024 travel rush period, according to the country's transport ministry. Of the total, 7.2 billion trips or about 80 percent will be made by self-driving, while 1.8 billion trips will be made via railways, highways, waterways, and civil aviation, the ministry said. China's railway operator on Friday said the country's railways are expected to handle 480 million passenger trips during this travel season, with an average of 12 million trips daily, an increase of 37.9 percent compared with the previous year. About 10.6…