Train tickets for Spring Festival go on sale Wednesday

 

Local police show passengers the difference between real and fake railway tickets. CFP Photo

 

By Annie Wei

People planning to travel by train during Spring Festival should begin booking their tickets as soon as possible, the railway ticketing administration said. In Beijing, tickets went on sale for the most important occasion of the year Wednesday, 10 days ahead of any other city.

The administration warns passengers to buy tickets from four railway stations or a ticketing agency, instead of a scalper.

There is expected to be three peak periods for train travel surrounding Spring Festival, which falls on February 14. It will be difficult to purchase tickets from January 24 to 27 and trains are expected to be packed as students and migrant workers travel back to their hometowns, the administration said.

The next waves of travel will occur from February 3 to 7 and Febuary 14 to 17, when office workers and businesspeople make their journeys home. Air tickets are also expected to spike during this period.

Since September 2009, train ticket payments have been available through Zhifubao, an online payment media. The service has been halted until further notice because of heavy sales.

Tickets may be returned, with a refund, up to six hours before the scheduled train departure.