Source: CCTV.com

01-17-2009 12:18

Special Report:   2009 Spring Festival

Saturday is the seventh day of the 40-day Spring Festival transportation surge. Cities across China are beginning to see the sale of train tickets reach their peak.

Railway authorities have implemented measures to ensure people are able to get tickets for the trip home.

Rail ticket sales peak across China

In Beijing, the city's West Railway Station alone saw over 180-thousand journeys made on Friday. Its single-day ticket sales also surged to around 160-thousand. The railway station has opened all its ticket-sales windows.

Local railway authorities have also requested rail stations in the city to open sales windows one hour ahead.

In Shanghai and Guangdong, train tickets before the Spring Festival, which starts from January 25th, have almost been sold out. But people still stood in long line hoping to get one. Local railway authorities have allocated staff to suggest people take planes or long-distance buses as alternatives.

As for rumors that rail station staff have illegally sold tickets at higher prices, Guangdong rail authorities say they have launched 24-hour inspections in every ticket-sales window around the city. They have also vow to severely punish violators.

Other cities such as Shenyang, Qingdao, Chengdu have also begun to see ticket sales peak. Shenyang rail stations in northeast China's Liaoning Province have offered group-purchase services catering to migrant workers, while stations in Chengdu, in southwest Sichuan Province, have also worked out measures to shorten people's waiting time for buying one ticket.

 

Editor:Zhang Yun