Advance tickets add twist to travel

Yang Jingwen, a migrant worker in Beijing, is considering returning to her hometown of Xinyang, in Henan province, for Spring Festival by bus instead of train after she failed to book a rail ticket.

"I'm always busy at the end of the year. I don't know the exact time that I can leave the capital, so it's hard for me to book a train ticket for Spring Festival in advance," said the 28-year-old.

Tickets to Xinyang have sold out because passengers can now book train tickets via the Internet and by telephone 60 days in advance, according to Yang.

Under a new policy of China Railway Corp, the rail network regulator, passengers were able to begin buying tickets to return home for Spring Festival on Dec 7. Previously, people were only allowed to buy tickets 20 days in advance.

China Railway said that extending the booking time makes it more convenient for travelers and helps ensure that a large number of people do not all buy tickets in a short period of time.

The longer time period also allows China Railway to decide whether to add trains.

Yang disagreed. She told China Daily that some of her colleagues booked multiple tickets on the Internet for times they might travel home.

"They knew the unused tickets would be refunded without much of a commission fee under the policy, so buying so many tickets could be regarded as a last-ditch move," Yang said.

The rail network regulator said passengers are not required to pay a commission fee for returning tickets 15 days in advance, which allows the tickets to be resold.

The 15-day policy means booking activity will peak from Jan 20 to the beginning of February for the travel rush, which will last from Feb 2 to March 15.

"I hope I can get a refund ticket in that period. If not, I have to go back home by bus," Yang said.

Wang Shuying, 36, who runs a restaurant in Beijing, said she doesn't know when she will return home to Hunan province, because it depends on when she finishes work.

"The worst thing would be to buy a standing ticket for a train," Wang said.