The Beijing-Shanghai high-speed railway will take the lead in online ticket booking as it is set to open later this month, disclosed Hu Yadong, vice-minister of railways yesterday. He also predicted that this will be a major channel for sales of train tickets in the future.
Online ticket booking to cover all railways in China
Online sales of tickets for the Beijing-Tianjin intercity trains were launched last Sunday. Hu said that in order to ensure the operation of the online booking system for the Beijing-Shanghai rail link, the Beijing-Tianjin line is now in a trial run.
Up to this point, the trial run has been going smoothly, with more than 40,000 people registered on the website for the China railway customer service center and over 8,000 tickets already sold online. Passengers can use the internet portal from 5 am to 12 pm every day.
Hu revealed, tickets will be sold online a week before the formal launch date of the Beijing-Shanghai high-speed railway.
From that day on, passengers can register themselves using ID cards or other legal documents such as passports, mainland travel permits, and entry permits. Those who use ID cards to buy the tickets can board the train directly just by showing their ID cards.
Hu believed that the adoption of an online ticket booking system will enhance the convenience for the public and it will be a major channel for train ticket sales as it is a fast, open, and fair process.
Previously, rumors spread on the Internet that the online ticket booking system will be suspended temporarily during the peak travel season around the Spring Festival, but Hu denied it. "Once adopted, it will not go back to the old days," he said.
According to the agenda released by the Ministry of Railways, travelers will be able to enjoy a comprehensive online ticket booking system covering all the railways in China by the end of this year.
Beijing-Shanghai high-speed railway safe and competent
In a news conference, Wang Yongping, spokesman for the Ministry of Railways answered questions about the introduction of the online ticket booking system as well as the Beijing-Shanghai rail link that is set to open in the end of June.
When responding to a query raised by the State Administration of Work Safety, Wang said the Ministry of Railways attaches great importance to considering all opinions about high-speed railways from different sectors of society, including the State Administration of Work Safety.
Wang reassured the technical reliability of the line. He said diligent workers have been working day and night to improve the construction efficiency, while quality and safety are prerequisites of the commercial operation.
On the issue of profitability, Wang showed absolute confidence in recovering costs, but there is no timetable for the recovery because it depends on the state of the operation.
He said, "If we want to make large profits in a short time, the ticket price will be very high, and the public will not agree. However, if the project always has a deficit, the enterprise will be unable to continue business. So we need to seek a balance in between."
The total investment of the Beijing-Shanghai high-speed railway was 220.9 billion yuan, according to statistics released by the Ministry of Railways.
Wang also commented on the potential competition with airlines, he said the Beijing-Shanghai high-speed railway is expected to draw some flyers from the Beijing-Shanghai air route. He believed, in the long run, this will not result in a 'vicious competition' but will definitely create changes to the current transportation mode.
