A railway policeman holds a new train ticket (up) and an old one (down). (Photo/Chinanews.com)
(ECNS) -- China's newly designed train tickets, to become official on August 1, will feature an advertisement encouraging consumers to buy tickets online.
Passengers mostly welcome the redesigned tickets; however some also expressed frustration that the latest versions still do not mention train arrival times.
On the lower half of the front side is an advertisement stating, "Please visit 12306 for passenger tickets; please visit 96306 for cargo services." Internet platforms selling passenger tickets via www.12306.cn and cargo services via www.95306.cn have been effective since April this year.
New standardized train tickets will also have other minor revisions. The word "station" has been added after departure and arrival city names. In terms of the personal passenger information, ticket holder names and ID numbers are now on one line instead of two separate ones.
The Z201 train from Beijing to Sanya is unique, and its ticket will bear an extra statement. The Z201 travels not only on land but also on water when crossing Qiongzhou Strait with the help of a ferry. Therefore, the ticket reads, "Warm reminder: this train crosses Qiongzhou Strait. Ferry services may be suspended in certain weather conditions, such as typhoons. Please pay attention to the weather forecast."
