On the morning of January 28th, 2008, Mayor Zhang Guangning immediately convened and presided over the Locale Meeting after accompanying Governor Huang Huahua to inspect the Spring Festival transportation work of Guangzhou Railway Station and worked over to deploy and carry out the instructions of Governor Huang.

Mayor Zhang Guangning said that the most urgent task at the moment was to earnestly maintain a sound order at the Guangzhou Railway Station square, ensure the supply of drinking water, food, etc., and ensure the security of the stranded passengers.

Snowstorms and ice rain over broad swaths of China stranded a large number of train passengers at the Guangzhou Railway Station. Up to 18:00 p.m. of January 28th, the train stations across Guangdong Province handled altogether 280,000 ticket refunds. It is forecast that with the approaching of the transportation peak of the Spring Festival, the passengers coming to Guangzhou Railway Station from February 1st to 4th were expected to increase to pose an unprecedented challenge to the Spring Festival transportation work in Guangzhou.

Mayor Zhang Guangning came up with three requirements at the meeting. First, the price control authority shall focus on their inspection of the price implementation in the neighborhood of Guangzhou Railway Station and punish severely the illegal acts such as forcing up prices and so on. Second, the economic and trade departments shall actively organize the supply of goods and ensure supplies of drinking water, food, etc. And third, the tourism department and relevant districts shall actively contact hotel rooms for the stranded passengers in need to save them from suffering the wind and rain.

(Translated by Guangzhou Association of Foreign Affairs Translators)

Source : english.gz.gov.cn