China's Ministry of Railways said Thursday that it will cut the fees for ticket refunds from 20 percent of the ticket's face value to 5 percent starting Sept. 25.

Under a new rule, the lowest fee is set at 2 yuan (31 U.S. cents), the ministry said in an online statement.

All bullet train tickets will be available online from Sept 30, the statement said. The online booking system will relieve the burden on railway stations and provide more conveniences to passengers, the ministry said in a news release on Thursday.

To promote booking services, the ministry also will make 12306 as its hotline number nationwide, the statement added.

Demand for train tickets is always high in China, especially during the Spring Festival, the most important holiday of the year. Difficulty in purchasing tickets has been a major source of complaints against the ministry in recent years.

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