Today's rush for return train tickets during the National Day holiday: Is it harder to grab short distance tickets? Where does the standby order come from? System | Railway | Order

On the last day of the National Day holiday, train tickets for the return trip will be available today!

After experiencing the "Century Ticket Battle" during this year's Mid Autumn Festival and National Day holiday, some netizens recently left a message on social media saying, "They are starting to worry about how to grab return tickets in advance.". At the same time, many netizens have also expressed their frustration with the difficulty of grabbing tickets.

"It's as difficult as heaven to grab a direct return ticket, it's gone as soon as it's refreshed?"

"I bought a ticket for the National Day return trip, which was very exciting. The first time I went in, it showed 'ticket issuance failed', but fortunately I got it."

Why is it so difficult to grab train tickets this year? On the afternoon of September 21st, a reporter from Pengpai News called the customer service of Railway 12306 and received a response that "there were many buyers, but once sold out, there were no tickets left.".

12306 customer service stated that they are not sure if there has been any fluctuation in the total number of tickets released this year compared to previous years. "The tickets on 12306 are all released and sold at once at the starting time, and will not be released in batches. Each segment has a fixed ticket amount, and once sold out, they will be sold out."

According to data released by China Railway Group, from September 13th to 20th, the railway department has sold 150 million train tickets.

Is it difficult to grab tickets, or is it even harder to grab short distance tickets?

This year's Mid Autumn Festival and National Day coincide, and it is widely expected that the number of travelers will increase significantly. Several netizens have posted on social media platforms, asking why short distance tickets on the 12306 train crashed in seconds, while long-distance or full distance tickets on the same train showed that there were still remaining tickets. What is the ticket release mechanism?

Is there a situation of "short distance ticket control" in train ticket grabbing?

A person close to the railway system said that they will prioritize meeting the needs of long-distance travel, and long-distance tickets are relatively easy to buy.

According to relevant sources, it may be easier to grab tickets from the first station, "after all, short distance ticket passengers have more travel options compared to long-distance ticket passengers, and switching to other modes of transportation will be more convenient."

Another person close to the railway system said that compared to the starting station, it is generally more difficult to grab short distance tickets at intermediate stations. "There are more people at the starting station, so the ticket amount is higher, while the ticket amount at intermediate stations is relatively lower. However, there are fewer passengers taking the entire journey, and there are relatively more passengers grabbing short distance tickets in the middle."

12306 customer service responded to the question raised by a reporter from Pengpai News about the difficulty of obtaining short distance tickets, stating that based on experience, there are fewer passengers traveling long distances by railway transportation.

In addition, another person close to the railway system stated that "short distance ticket control" is also aimed at preventing capacity waste.

The above sources provide examples, such as the Beijing Shanghai line with high traffic, from Shanghai to Beijing. If the selling range is from Shanghai to Wuxi, there may be no one purchasing the section from Wuxi to Beijing, resulting in the inability to buy tickets for Shanghai to Beijing and wasting transportation capacity.

The person also added that the capacity of short distance tickets will be compensated for as much as possible by adding trains.

Previously, the railway department had stated that it would prioritize the allocation of long-distance train tickets to meet the needs of long-distance passengers traveling from the origin station to the destination station, in order to maximize the utilization of transportation resources. Of course, it also takes into account the needs of short distance passengers. When there are sufficient long-distance tickets, the ticket allocation will be dynamically adjusted according to changes in passenger flow demand, and part of the ticket will be automatically transferred to various stations along the way in different time periods to meet the needs of short distance passengers for ticket purchases.

Regarding the difficulty of ticket grabbing, China Railway Group has recently released multiple reports stating that passengers who have not been able to grab tickets during peak hours can choose to purchase tickets through alternative options such as waiting for tickets or transferring to other modes of transportation. This year's long holiday provides more options for passengers to adjust their itinerary and staggered travel. During off peak hours, there are relatively sufficient remaining tickets in all directions.

Where does the standby order come from? Is there a batch release of tickets?

Another issue is related to standby orders. Some netizens believe that tickets are sold out in just a few seconds from the start of sale, and hundreds of people can make up for them in the waiting queue. Is it because tickets are released in batches in the background?

On the afternoon of September 21st, 12306 customer service told the reporter of Pengpai News that passengers can check whether there are any remaining tickets on the official software. If they are sold out, they can only place a standby order and pay attention to whether the standby is successful in the future. Only when other passengers change or refund their tickets can they complete the waiting process in the queue order, and railway transportation operators will not issue additional tickets.

According to the "Travel Guide" on the 12306 official website, the submission time of standby orders is consistent with the operation time of the 12306 website; The redemption time for standby orders is 24 hours; The standby termination time shall not be later than 2 hours before the departure. Passengers can set their own termination time when submitting a standby order, or modify and proactively terminate the redemption at any time after submitting the standby order. In addition, when the system redeems standby tickets based on the booking requirements submitted by users, it is generally carried out in the order of the effective time of the order, and partial redemption is not carried out for the same standby requirement.

According to the reporter from Pengpai News, standby tickets are not only derived from refunds and ticket changes of other passengers.

A person close to the railway system told The Paper reporter that before ticket release, the railway department usually leaves a few emergency tickets for mobile trains, but not many for each train. The unused mobile tickets mentioned above will also be sold a few hours before the train starts.

Another person close to the railway system told The Paper reporter that not all standby orders come from refunds from other passengers, and the railway department will also connect or add trains to make every effort to meet travel needs.

The above-mentioned person stated that a multiple unit train refers to a combination of two trains connected at the front and rear, with the original 8 carriages increasing to 16 carriages, doubling the passenger capacity. The railway department will also add new train numbers, which require timely attention and dynamic updating of 12306.

In addition, regarding the issue that some netizens are concerned about "the standby option after the ticket is sold out does not appear immediately", 12306 customer service stated on the afternoon of September 21 that there may be a delay due to the large number of people.

Recently, China Railway announced that based on pre-sale and standby ticket data, as well as railway transportation capacity, the railway department will also timely increase the number of passenger trains in popular directions and hot periods. And add short distance passenger trains within the jurisdiction of the railway bureau, making every effort to meet the needs of passengers for returning tickets.

The railway department will add 200 night high-speed trains from September 27th to October 1st and from October 4th to 7th, and tickets have gradually begun to be sold. 320 direct passenger trains will be added across the railway bureau group company, including 14 daytime high-speed trains, 200 nighttime high-speed trains, and 106 conventional speed passenger trains. Among them, the main directions of night high-speed trains are popular and tense sections such as the Beijing Shanghai, Beijing Harbin, Beijing Guangzhou, Shanghai Kunming, and Guangzhou Shenzhen high-speed trains.

How can we increase the chances of successful candidate ticket purchases? Railway 12306 previously stated that the standby ticketing function 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.