Why are train tickets available throughout the journey but not at intermediate stations? The railway department responded to the arrival of passengers | tickets | available tickets
At present, it is the summer tourism season. Recently, many netizens have reported that train ticket sales are too hot, and short distance tickets are often not available. Although the 12306 App shows that tickets are available throughout the journey, the midway station can only be "waiting". What is the reason behind this? How are tickets allocated to intermediate stations along the route? What should passengers do if they cannot buy a direct ticket? Railway department response ↓
What happens when there are tickets throughout the journey but no tickets at the intermediate station?
In recent days, the ongoing 16th Shanxi Provincial Games have attracted a lot of attention. Xinzhou citizen Wang Tao wanted to take his child to Datong to watch one or two games during the holiday, but when preparing to take the high-speed train for travel, he encountered a situation where tickets were difficult to buy.
Wang Tao: My home is relatively close to Yuanping West Station. When I checked the tickets, I found that almost all the better trains from Yuanping to Datong were "standby". But for the same train, if it goes one more stop forward, it will show "remaining tickets".
In response, the railway department stated that due to the high demand for passenger travel during the summer transportation period, there was a temporary shortage of transportation capacity. In this case, the railway department will prioritize meeting the long-distance passenger demand from the starting station to the destination station by increasing the ticket quota for long-distance trains, in order to maximize the utilization of transportation resources.
Li Weimin, Secretary of the Party Branch of Xinyu North Station at Yichun Railway Depot of Nanchang Bureau Group Co., Ltd., introduced that if short distance tickets are open for sale, it will squeeze out the ticket quota of long-distance passengers. Long distance passengers with rigid demands and limited options will have fewer opportunities to purchase tickets.
"If long-distance tickets are sold in random segments, it will cause some section seats to be idle and the transportation capacity to not be fully utilized. Of course, the railway department will also take into account the needs of short distance passengers. When the long-distance tickets are sufficient, the ticket allocation will be dynamically adjusted according to changes in demand, and a portion of the tickets will be automatically transferred to various stations along the way in different time periods to meet the needs of short distance passengers."
How are tickets allocated to intermediate stations along the route?
It is understood that the basic principle of railway ticket allocation is to make it as convenient as possible for passengers along the line to purchase tickets and make the most of railway transportation resources, mainly based on the historical passenger flow and ticket pre-sale situation at the departure station and various stations along the way.
Jiang Mengting, a ticket seller at the ticket workshop of Xi'an Station of China Railway Xi'an Bureau, said:
When the pre-sale of long-distance train tickets fails to meet expectations, the railway department will adjust part of the ticket amount to stations with demand along the way;
When there is a strong demand for pre-sale tickets at the departure station, the reservation of departure station tickets will be increased.
What should passengers do if they cannot buy a direct ticket?
According to statistics, since the start of this year's summer rush, the daily average number of passenger trains operated by railways in China has reached 10169, an increase of 14.2% compared to the same period in 2019. Jiang Mengting said that if passengers cannot buy direct tickets, they can try the transfer service function of the Railway 12306App.
Jiang Mengting: After passengers submit their travel needs, the system will display differentiated railway transfer routes to passengers based on the train schedule, available tickets, and other information.
In addition, passengers can also use the "standby ticket purchase" program in the 12306 App to submit standby orders, queue up for booking, and if there are refunds or remaining tickets, the 12306 system will automatically purchase tickets for them.
Wang Shenying, publicity assistant at Huainan West Station of China Railway Shanghai Group Co., Ltd.: Currently, passengers can submit 5 standby tickets each day for two adjacent dates at the same departure and arrival stations, or at different stations in the same city.
Railway department: Do not "buy short and long trains"
For passengers who choose to buy short distance tickets and board the train first and then make up for the ticket when taking a long-distance bus.
The railway department stated that in order to ensure the safety of train operation, railway vehicles have certain passenger capacity restrictions, especially for high-speed trains, which have stricter requirements for passenger capacity. Therefore, it is not recommended for passengers to "buy short and long" tickets to the station.
"During peak passenger flow, if a large number of passengers who purchase short distance tickets do not get off the train after arriving at the station, it will cause overcrowding in the carriages, seriously endangering the safety of train operation and affecting normal transportation order."
