BEIJING, Jan. 26 (Xinhua) -- 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 passengers 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 million train trips are expected to be made on Friday, the first day of the travel rush.

The 40-day travel surge, also known as "chunyun," will see hundreds of millions of people return home and reunite with their friends and families.

This year's Lunar New Year runs from Feb. 10 to 17, one day longer than in previous years. The extended holiday will put even more pressure on the nation's transport system, as unleashed pent-up demand for family reunions overlaps with surging travel demand.