The Ministry of Railways estimated that China's trains will have carried a total of 145 million of passengers when the country's annual Spring Festival transportation season ends on March 5.

According to statistics from the ministry, by Feb. 22, China's trains had carried more than 100 million of passengers. 40 million of these went home without transfers, up 5 percent over that of 2004.

The trains had carried more than 4 million of passengers from Feb. 13 to Feb. 19 and predicted the passenger peak will fade after Feb. 25, according to ministry statistics.

College students began returning to school Feb. 16, and the last and biggest student flow will appear from Feb. 24 to Feb. 25,possibly doubling the 2004 amount.

"From Feb. 18 to Feb. 20, the trains had carried some 3.24 million students," said the ministry.