The success rate of standby ticket purchase is high, and if you can't get it, don't worry. Train tickets will be available for sale on the first day of the Mid Autumn Festival and National Day holiday
On September 15th, the first day of the Mid Autumn Festival and National Day holiday, train tickets were sold. From the sales situation of tickets, popular direction tickets were highly sought after, while some short distance direction tickets were relatively better. To avoid tickets being quickly sold out, if the itinerary has been planned, it is recommended that passengers purchase tickets as soon as possible.
At present, the pre-sale period for railway tickets is 15 days, and this year's Mid Autumn Festival National Day holiday is from September 29th to October 6th. Therefore, after the first day of the holiday tickets are available for sale today, the tickets for the last day of the holiday will be available for sale on September 22nd. It should be noted that the starting time for ticket sales at major railway stations is not the same. Taking Shanghai as an example, the starting time for ticket sales at Hongqiao Station in Shanghai is 13:30 on the same day; Shanghai Station, Shanghai South Station, and Shanghai West Station are at 14:30. Passengers who have made travel plans should also pay attention to the timing of ticket sales.
According to China National Railway Group Co., Ltd., this year's railway transportation during the Mid Autumn Festival and National Day Golden Week starts on September 27th and ends on October 8th, lasting for 12 days. The national railway is expected to send 190 million passengers.
Due to the longer Mid Autumn Festival and National Day holiday this year compared to previous years, it has greatly stimulated the travel demand of residents, and tickets may be even more difficult to buy this year. Among them, September 15th is the peak for ticket sales, and the railway department predicts that cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Nanjing, Suzhou, Tianjin, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Chengdu, and Xi'an will become popular destinations for passengers to depart and arrive. In addition, Hangzhou will host the Asian Games during the Golden Week and will also become a popular destination for high-speed rail travel.
According to China Railway Group, in response to the peak passenger flow during this year's Mid Autumn Festival and National Day holidays, the country's railways will implement peak operating schedules, and the daily average passenger seating capacity is expected to increase by 18.5% compared to the same period in 2019. At present, the railway department has added 320 direct passenger trains across the railway bureau group companies, including 214 high-speed trains and 106 ordinary speed passenger trains. In addition, the railway department will also adopt methods such as multiple unit operation of high-speed trains and adding carriages to ordinary speed passenger trains, increasing passenger seats in popular directions, and operating at full axles or formations in the directions of entering Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou.
In response to the situation of "instant light" in popular direction tickets, the railway department suggests that passengers use the 12306 standby ticket purchase function. According to data statistics from China Railway Group, the standby ticketing function of Railway 12306 operates stably, with a success rate of over 75% for standby redemption. Passengers can increase the success rate of waiting orders by submitting multiple combinations of dates, train numbers, and seat types to extend the waiting redemption time.
"Based on the ticket sales data of Railway 12306, various railway bureaus and group companies can flexibly increase the number of passenger trains within their management. For example, in the case of a large number of passengers, high-speed trains may also change from 8 carriages to 12 carriages, and standby ticket purchases can buy tickets faster." A railway insider said that standby ticket purchases are not only available for passengers to refund tickets, but also through standby ticket purchases, railway departments can more accurately understand the needs of passengers and make corresponding arrangements.