Editor's note: In previous years, all you had to do during the Spring Festival travel rush was queue up for tickets; first come, first served. It was a test of stamina, but there was always hope. This year is different. You’ve introduced this online ticket purchasing system, which is too complicated and impractical for us. Recently, a letter from migrant workers to the Ministry of Railways has been circulating online. The Spring Festival travel rush hasn't even started yet, but the battle for tickets has already begun.
[Current Situation] Not familiar with online ticket purchasing, window ticket purchase remains the mainstream method. Ticket windows are still lined up with [long queues]. Recently, students at various universities have started their holidays and migrant workers from other regions have also begun preparing to return home. Long queues have once again formed at train ticket sales windows. Although railway departments have promoted internet ticket purchases, due to many passengers not understanding how to buy tickets online and fearing it’s unsafe, coupled with the busy online ticketing system, they have abandoned the online method. Queueing up at the window to buy tickets remains the main method.
The Spring Festival travel rush has not yet begun, but the difficulty of buying tickets has already started to unfold. The curtain on the Spring Festival travel rush has not yet been raised, but the difficulty of buying tickets has already begun. At Wenzhou Railway Station square, nearly ten queues extend three to four meters outside the ticket hall, each queue having no less than 50 people.
[This is still fewer. During the day, the queues stretch about 100 meters outside the ticket hall. It's truly crowded!], said Huang Minjie, a worker from Wuhan, Hubei, who works in Longwan Haicheng, Changping Talent Network [http://www.cprcw.com]. He came to queue at around 5:30 AM yesterday morning, originally thinking he would be early, but didn’t expect others to be even earlier — those who queued overnight the day before. [I will also have to stay up all night here tonight.]
Huang Minjie has experienced hunger and cold while buying tickets in previous years. Yesterday, he specially wore two thick sweaters and a down jacket, brought two large bags of cookies, and a bottle of water. However, he forgot to bring a stool, and after standing all day, his feet swelled a bit.
Deng Weimin, working at a shoe factory in Shuangyu, Nanchang, Jiangxi, appeared more experienced in buying tickets. He prepared a stool, newspapers, and an extra coat, making him [well-equipped]. [Just now, the ticket seller said that the train to Nanchang on February 5th is already sold out, and tickets for February 6th will only start selling on January 27th. It seems that I will have to queue overnight to get an early start.] After saying this, Deng Weimin chewed a piece of cookie and wrapped himself in a coat warm enough to serve as a blanket — he would also curl up and sleep on the ground tonight.
Spending an entire day queuing but unable to buy a ticket
Passenger Liu Fangxing expressed that he and his friend spent half an hour trying to call the booking hotline, but were unable to get through. Helplessly, he also joined the overnight queuing crowd, possibly spending a whole day’s time, and some people might spend 30 hours at the train station for a single ticket, considering themselves lucky if they could manage to buy one.
2012 Spring Festival Train Ticket Buying Secrets
Avoid the peak as much as possible!
The 2012 Spring Festival travel period runs from January 8th to February 16th, with 15 days before the festival and 25 days after, totaling 40 days.
The pre-festival peak is from January 14th to January 20th, 2012; the post-festival peak is from January 29th to February 4th, 2012.
You can book tickets online this year!
China Railway Customer Service Center (http://www.12306.cn) is the only official website. Those wanting to buy tickets via the internet must download and install the root certificate in advance, fill in over a dozen pieces of information including ID card number, register, and activate the account!
Grasp the best ticket release time!
Ticket release times vary by railway bureau. Here are the ticket release times tested on December 27th for your reference: Beijing Bureau releases tickets at 9:00 am; Shanghai Bureau releases D/G tickets at 15:00 pm and K/T tickets at 8:00 am; Wuhan Bureau releases tickets at 8:00 am; Guangzhou Railway Group does not have a clear pattern, so try frequently!
How many tickets can you buy online at once?
Online ticket reservations should be completed within 30 minutes, otherwise the reserved seat will be automatically canceled! Tickets are randomly assigned, and on the website, note that one ID card number can only buy one ticket, and the maximum number of tickets per order is five.
What time can you buy tickets online?
Starting from January 1st, 2012, telephone and online presale periods are changed to 12 days. The service time for 12306.cn website is generally from 6:00 am to 23:00 pm daily. This will be appropriately extended during the Spring Festival ticket selling period. Purchasing, changing, and refunding tickets on the 12306.cn website must be done no later than 2 hours before departure.
How to collect tickets booked online?
Within two hours after successful payment and before the train departs, tickets can be collected at nearby agency points. Some passengers who purchased C, D, G-class train tickets on the Jingjin Intercity, Jinghu High-Speed Railway, and passenger dedicated lines can directly pass through the station gates with their second-generation ID cards.
Which is faster, telephone or network?
Since online ticket booking is a new attempt this year, it is difficult to estimate whether the website can withstand the national traffic, so it is suggested that everyone must use both telephone and network methods. Choose an environment with fast internet speed when booking tickets online!
Telephone Booking
Ironcom telephone booking has a high connection rate!
The telephone booking system for train tickets is provided by Ironcom (95105105) and Unicom (96020088). Using an Ironcom phone to call Ironcom results in a higher connection rate!
Use landlines instead of mobile phones!
Mobile phone signals are unstable and redial responses are slow. It's best to find a landline and repeatedly dial as quickly as possible!
Human sea tactics!
Even for telephone booking, human sea tactics apply. Find several people to call together (and remember everyone's ID numbers), more people means a higher chance of getting through! Additionally, one booking process can only reserve up to three tickets for the same date, same train, and same destination.
Connect the call in advance and hold the line!
Starting from January 1st, 2012, the telephone and online presale period is changed to 12 days. The service time for the 12306.cn website is generally from 6:00 am to 23:00 pm daily. This will be appropriately extended during the Spring Festival ticket selling period. Purchasing, changing, and refunding tickets on the 12306.cn website must be done no later than 2 hours before departure.
"Simple Booking" without being picky!
The new telephone reservation system has a "Simple Booking" option. If you don't mind the train number or seat type (berth, seat, or unreserved), directly choose "Simple Booking" to save operation time and secure tickets earlier (if dissatisfied, simply not collecting the ticket is an option).
Collect tickets promptly, overdue cancellation!
Most railway bureaus have strict regulations for collecting telephone-reserved tickets: if successfully booked before 12:00 pm, tickets must be collected before 24:00 pm on the same day; if booked after 12:00 pm, tickets must be collected before 12:00 pm the next day. Failure to do so will result in cancellation. Please collect tickets at the nearest agency point.
More Tricks
ID cards required starting this year!
Starting from January 1st, 2012 (travel date), except for a few stations, real-name ticket purchasing, checking, and boarding will be implemented for all passenger trains (excluding children's tickets). If your ID card is lost or you do not have valid identification for other reasons, prepare in advance to avoid affecting your ticket purchase and travel.
Be prepared!
Whether it's online or telephone booking, familiarize yourself with the process beforehand. For example, skip the telephone voice guidance! Remember the train number, destination area code (such as Beijing 010), ID number (especially if booking for friends, write them down beforehand), and have paper and pen ready to record the order number.
Multiple choices, more opportunities!
Don't focus solely on one train or date. Prepare multiple options and consider additional plans over a few days. Getting the tickets early is key!
Book tickets from the departure station, larger stations!
When buying train tickets, it's best to purchase tickets for local departing trains. Departure stations have the most available seats, while intermediate stations have fewer reserved tickets. If you're in a small town, consider buying tickets from a nearby major station to increase your chances.
Book tickets for the next station
If there are no tickets available for your intended station, consider booking tickets for the next station! Therefore, prepare an area code table in advance (since telephone bookings select destinations by entering area codes).
Can't get a sleeper berth for long-distance travel?
First, buy a sitting or standing ticket (you can occupy a spot in the dining car), then find the train conductor in carriage No. 9 to upgrade to a sleeper berth. Generally, there will be available berths after major stations. If overnight berths cannot be secured, a portable inflatable headrest is a good choice.
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