Normally, the 15 days before the Spring Festival and the 25 days after are considered the Spring Festival travel rush period, during which nearly every city faces some level of transportation pressure. The 2013 Spring Festival travel rush is approaching once again, and as hardworking people who have been away from home for a year reunite with their longing to go back, they all join the tide of returning home. Road, rail, and air transport will all be affected to varying degrees, especially road and rail. This article will share the 2013 Spring Festival travel rush train ticket purchasing strategies in advance, based on the latest transportation regulations.
The Ticket Battle Is On: Complete Guide to 2013 Spring Festival Travel Rush Ticket Purchasing
The railway authority has recently issued new regulations, extending the online ticket booking window from 12 days to 20 days. As a result, train tickets for the first day of the 2013 Spring Festival travel rush can be booked as early as January 7, 2013. Let’s take an early look at the actual situation of the “ticket battle” for online bookings during the travel rush. We’ll also summarize tips and strategies for the three common methods—online, phone, and in-person ticket purchasing—to help eager travelers secure their tickets home before the peak buying period arrives.
■2013 Spring Festival Travel Rush Ticket Purchasing: New Regulations
Railway Authority Announces 2013 Ticket Booking Adjustments (Click the image for details)
1. Starting January 1, 2013, passengers who book tickets by phone can collect their reserved tickets at any station ticket window or authorized ticket agency nationwide by presenting the valid ID used for booking, enabling nationwide collection for phone-booked tickets. Additionally, the ticket collection time window has been extended by 12 hours: tickets booked before 12:00 on a given day must be collected by 12:00 the next day; tickets booked after 12:00 must be collected by 24:00 the next day.
2. Starting January 1, 2013, the start times for selling tickets for the 12th day (counting from the booking date) via internet and phone have been adjusted from 4 to 10 time slots. That is, new tickets will be released hourly between 8:00 and 18:00 (excluding 14:00), and all bullet train (C, D, G-series) tickets will be released uniformly at 11:00. For specific release times, please refer to announcements at each station.
3. Starting January 4, 2013, the advance booking period for internet and phone ticket sales has been extended to 20 days (including the day itself), with ticket release for the 20th day still occurring in 10 time slots. The advance booking period for authorized ticket agencies and some station ticket windows has been extended to 18 days (including the day itself).