New technology has been installed at train stations and airports in Chinese cities, aiming to ease the travel experience of the millions of passengers expected over the course of the 40-day Spring Festival travel rush which began on January 13th.

Passenger using a smart robot at Guangzhou South Railway Station, January 14th. [Photo: cctv.com]

At Guangzhou South Railway Station, 16 automatic machines allow passengers to check their tickets by themselves before they pass through the gates. The whole process, which involves the scanning of the passengers' train tickets and their personal ID cards, takes about five seconds per person, reports CCTV.com.

Passengers must remove masks and sunglasses before using the self-service machines. This automated service is also available in Beijing, Shanghai, and Nanchang.

Smart robots are also aiding passengers at some railway stations in China. Eleven robots have been deployed in Guangzhou South Railway Station and Shenzhen North Railway Station, providing passengers with information pertaining to train schedules, tickets, and directions. The robots even sing and dance, if asked to do so by a customer.

Passengers departing from Beijing Railway Station can also use the "Shake" service of Wechat on their mobile phones to bring up a service interface. Passengers can then obtain information related to waiting rooms, train schedules, lost items, wheelchair services, and luggage check-in.

Services at airports have also been improved with smart technology. South China Airlines passengers can get detailed information and updates regarding their flights by simply scanning the bar code on their boarding pass, reports CCTV.com.

Nearly three billion passenger trips are expected during the Spring Festival travel rush in 2017. The total represents an increase of 2.2 percent compared to last year, according to data released by the National Center of ITS Engineering and Technology.

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