Holiday rail ticket rush reflects same old woes

Source: ShanghaiDaily | 01-04-2009 15:57

THE government's promise of a better system by 2012 appears to be a distant hope for many Chinese who want railway tickets home for the annual Spring Festival.

Starting last Friday, the first day to book tickets for the travel rush expected to last from January 11 to February 28, long queues appeared at ticket booths in almost every major railway hub.

In Shanghai, police and security officers were put on 24-hour guard to maintain order and prevent accidents. They gave each passengers a number and assigned them to different waiting lines.

Beijing authorities set up 410 ticket booths at the main Beijing Railway Station and Beijing West Railway Station to keep lines at no more than 20 people as required by the Railway Ministry.

Deputy General Manager of the Guangzhou Railway Group, Cao Jianguo, asked passengers to "be patient" and "try again" with the booking telephone hot line 9602-0088 in Guangdong.

Nine stations in the southern province have been networked this year with the hot line, which means passengers can pick up or cancel reserved tickets more easily by showing identification.

At Guangzhou railway stations, the Guangzhou Command College of Armed Police was mobilized at seven ticket booths. They were on duty during last year's Spring Festival rush, which was beset by unusual snowstorms.