'Average day in Gurgaon': China's long haul holiday triggers 24 hour traffic jam at Wuzhuang toll station
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The Wuzhuang toll station, located on the border between Anhui and Jiangsu provinces, is China’s largest expressway toll station, with a total of 36 lanes. Drivers wait to pass through the Wuzhuang toll station on an expressway in Chuzhou, in China’s eastern Anhui province, as they make their way back home on the second-to-last day of an eight-day National Day holiday on October 7, 2025 Photograph: (AFP)
A 24-hour traffic jam at China’s Wuzhuang toll station left thousands stranded as millions returned home after the National Day holidays. Viral footage showed 36 lanes merging into four, sparking online comparisons to Gurgaon’s daily traffic chaos.
As China's extended holiday period, combining National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival, came to an end, people returning home encountered 24-hour-long traffic at the Wuzhuang toll station in Anhui Province.
The Wuzhuang toll station is the largest in China, comprising 36 lanes. A viral drone footage shows endless trails of red lights dispersing into multiple lanes before converging into 4 lanes at the toll booths. According to the authorities, approximately 120,000 vehicles passed that day.
The holidays were unusually long, spanning 8 days from October 1 to October 8, due to the overlap of two major occasions. During this period, China saw a remarkable 888 million travel trips, increasing from 765 million in the same period last year.
People online reacted to the long traffic snarl, one user commented, “I thought they have those levitating trains?”
Another user commented, “Gotta always be ready with food, water, blankers, and a portable toilet lol.” “I always keep an empty tin can in my car just in case !!!!!!!!” “Chaos looks beautiful when you are not in it”
One user said, "Average day in Gurgaon,” drawing similiarity btween the oddity of China's rare occurance with daily traffic congestion in India.
