Despite disastrous snowstorms that forced many travelers to delay or cancel their trips, more local people traveled on public transport during this year's Spring Festival than last year.

The Spring Festival transport peak ended nationwide on Sunday, with local passenger transport turnovers this year up more than 10 percent on last year, figures show.

About 5.4 million people traveled in and out of the city by the two local airports during the 40-day peak period, an increase of 4.5 percent over the same period last year.

The Pudong International Airport handled about 3.1 million of these air travelers.

Incoming and departing travelers hit a peak of 155,000 people at the airports on January 30, days before the New Year's Eve, said the Shanghai Airport Authority.

Eight airlines from Shanghai and Taiwan carried out 50 chartered flights during the Spring Festival period, mostly to enable Taiwanese working in Shanghai and nearby cities to return home for celebrations.

The transport peak arrived earlier for railway operators and lasted for 45 days when it ended on Sunday.

More than 32.53 million travelers were transported by trains operated by the Shanghai Railway Administration during the period, according to the administration.

The turnover increased by 11.5 percent over last year's Spring Festival, the railway administration said.

(Shanghai Daily Marcch 4, 2008)