It was not clear how many such people would leave. An official with the Beijing government’s press office contacted by AFP denied migrants were ordered out. But several migrants said an exodus was under way.

“My feeling is that it is not fair,” said Yuan Daxin, 36, who was also at the train station on his way home.

Yuan, from the northwestern province of Gansu, laboured at an office tower construction site until last month, when a lot of such work across the city was halted. His employer told workers they were getting an “Olympic holiday”.

However, Yuan noted cheerily that his Beijing work helped his family back home buy its first television, which they will use to watch the Games. “We have to leave to make sure Beijing is not too crowded and dirty. It is our responsibility to help the Olympics be a success,” he said.