riders of packed chinese trains forced to wear diapers -- can't reach bathrooms

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060124/...a_diapers_dc_1


A really, really no-frills ride... Tue Jan 24, 11:59 AM ET

archived forever

Migrant workers in south China are wearing adult diapers on packed
trains heading home for the Lunar New Year holiday because they have no
access to a toilet, state media said Tuesday.

About 120 million peasants from China's vast rural areas swarm the
cities for work and all try to make it home for the holiday, filling
all standing room on trains and making access to the toilet impossible
during trips often lasting 24 hours or more.

"During the peak travel period last year, some passengers even became
deranged on their journeys because of the conditions and jumped out of
the carriages," the China Daily said.

The Lunar New Year, which this year starts on January 29, is the
biggest holiday in the Chinese-speaking world and family reunions
prompt arguably the biggest movement of humanity on Earth.

Many supermarkets in southern Foshan had reported a 50 percent increase
in sales of adult diapers for the train trips, the China Daily said in
what some local commentators called the "shame of the nation." It did
not mention other cities.

Domestic media said railways in China had transported 3.8 million
people alone Monday, an all-time high.