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| Passengers queue up to buy train tickets at a
ticket booth in Xi'an, Northwest China's Shaanxi Province January
10, 2005.(newsphoto) |
The Ministry of Railways (MOR) on Wednesday announced that prices of
train tickets will increased before the Spring Festival, China's
traditional lunar new year, which will fall on Feb. 9 this year.
The price hike is attempted to control passengers during the peak
travel period due to a shortage of space.
Price of hard seat tickets will rise by 15 percent
and price of sleeper
tickets will rise by 20 percent from Feb. 1 to 7, according to the
Ministry of Railways.
Chinese travelers will make an unprecedented 14.5 billion journeys by
train during the 40-day peak travel season, which will start on Jan. 25,
4.97 million or 3.5 percent more than the same period last year.
A MOR source said the ministry held a public hearing on ticket price
hike in 2002 and the price fluctuation was approved. In the past three
years, the Ministry rose train ticket prices during peak season by 15-20
percent.
China's travel season peaks as millions of migrant workers and college
students travel home for their family unions.
In 2002, the State Development Planning Commission held a public
hearing on ticket price rises during peak periods. It authorized railway
ministries to increase average seat prices by 15 percent during the Spring
Festival.
The authorization has been used for the past two years, as an effective
pricing mechanism for rail transport.
(China Daily) | 
Updated: 2005-01-14 10:01