A worker builds the framework of tents to shelter ticket buyers from winter cold at the open ground of the Guiyang Railway Station in Guiyang, capital of southwest China's Guizhou province, Jan. 7, 2009, prior to the Chinese lunar New Year starting from Jan. 26. Hundreds of millions of Chinese people are expected to move around by means of railway during the lunar New Year holidays.

"Ticket scalpers come in all shapes, some with big chain-like operations, others are individuals. But whatever form they take, illegal profit is the motivation. Railway police will not only get on scalpers on the street, but also the ringleaders behind the scenes," he said.

Sources with the Railroad Police say a nationwide campaign, dubbed "Blue Shield" was launched last December to tackle ticket counterfeiting and scalping. Police have gathered mug shots and information on serial offenders and set up a database for reference at railway stations.

Guangzhou Railway Police early this month cracked a counterfeiting ring and seized 196 finished and almost 60,000 semi-processed tickets.

In Beijing Railway and Beijing West Railway Stations, about 200 police were deployed from neighbouring Shijiazhuang and Tianjin. "Offenders are unfamiliar with their faces, so the out-of-town police can stay undercover," Chai says.

To encourage the public to offer tips of malpractice, Beijing railway authority guarantee to keep their identities confidential and offer rewards, but also to secure their privilege in using the tickets obtained.

"As passengers who disclose to us the source of their overcharged tickets were prohibited from using the ticket in the past, our rewards seemed too small compared to the time and energy they spent obtaining a new ticket. This year, our principle is not only to be grateful, but also not to put them through extra trouble," Chai says.

(Xinhua News Agency January 15, 2009)