Stranded Chinese travellers get free upgrades to high-speed trains

Beijing

CHINESE rail authorities offered 10,000 stranded Chinese New Year travellers free upgrades to high-speed trains on Wednesday as they tackled a huge backlog of passengers stuck in Guangzhou by snow and ice.

The city is the capital of the southern province of Guangdong, which as China's manufacturing powerhouse is a major hub for the vast numbers of migrant workers who leave their homes in the countryside to labour in factories.