Thousands of passengers have been affected in Shanghai as the cold snap causes more bus and flight chaos.

The most severe snowstorm in more than a decade hit many regions in China and continues to cause provincial bus shuttles and flights from Shanghai to be delayed or canceled.

Rail transport and some flights were largely unaffected.

But about a dozen coach shuttles were canceled yesterday afternoon after more reports of heavy snow, Shanghai Long Distance Bus General Station officials said.

Most of the services were due to leave for Beijing, Taiyuan and the provinces of Shanxi, Henan and Shandong, an official said.

"The snow-bound highways in these areas are blocked, cutting off traffic on the long-distance bus lines," he said.

Thirteen domestic flights at Hongqiao International Airport were canceled or delayed between Sunday evening and yesterday morning. The Shanghai Railway Station authority said railway traffic with local stations remained unaffected by the bad weather.

Passenger flows to Chengdu and Lanzhou cities, Shandong and Henan provinces as well as the northeast region of the country had jumped by 15 to 20 percent in the past few days, but the railway authority said there were still tickets available.

The Shanghai Railway Administration, which oversees Zhejiang and Jiangsu provinces and part of Anhui Province, said more than two million people travelled by trains in the region in the first three days of the Spring Festival transport rush that kicked off on Saturday.

This was an increase of 30 percent compared with the same period last year. And on Saturday alone, a record 695,000 passengers were transported by trains in the region.

Until January 25, advance booking for railway tickets to Anhui, Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces is reduced to eight days, the railway authority said.

From January 26, advance booking will go back to 11 days.

Advance booking for tickets to other provinces remains at 11 days.

(Shanghai Daily January 22, 2008)