Real-name rail ticketing
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Presale train tickets available under the "real name" ID-based booking system, to be implemented nationwide on June 1, may be bookable in Beijing as early as May 22, according to a Beijing Daily report on Monday.
Under the system, which aims to reduce ticket scalping and was first tested in Guangdong Province in 2010 during the busy Chinese New Year period, tickets can be purchased up to 11 days before the date of travel.
ID-based ticket sales for China Railway High-Speed (CRH) trains are to come into effect from June 1, but details of booking methods and exact implementation dates will be arranged by local railway departments, Xie Xiaowen, an official of the publicity department of the Ministry of Railways, told the Global Times on Monday.
The new booking system means only one ticket can be issued per identification document presented at the time of purchase. Passengers will also have to show identification when entering stations and taking trains, Xie added.
Some 25 types of identification can be used to buy tickets, including ID cards, driving licenses and military IDs, according to Xie.
For foreigners, residence permits, entry and exit certificates and official diplomatic identification are valid in addition to passports, Xie said.
"Any certificate bearing their ID number will do for Chinese and we have been told to take the passport as valid certification for foreign buyers," an employee surnamed Sun at Jinma Mansion ticket agency in Chaoyang district told the Global Times on Monday,
ID recognition equipment has been already assigned to the city's accredited ticket agencies, Sun added.
The Beijing Daily report said ID-based ticketing will also be introduced on the Beijing-Tianjin Inter-city Express route, which has more than 70 trains traveling in each direction every day, and added that ticket vendors at Beijing South Railway Station are currently testing ID recognition equipment.
Meanwhile, travelers flying into Tianjin are eligible for free rail travel to Beijing thanks to an offer launched Sunday by Tianjin Airlines, Tianjin Binhai International Airport (TBIA) and the Inter-city Express, according to a People's Daily report on Monday.
Passengers showing their flight tickets at TBIA can get a free bus ticket to Tianjin Railway Station and a free bullet train ticket to Beijing, the report said.
Ministry of Railways spokesman Wang Yongping said the ID-based ticketing system will help ensure national railway security and bring down ticket scalping, according to the People's Daily report.
With online ticket booking services also expected in the future, rail travel is becoming easier and more convenient, Wang added.
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