Lhasa railway station to start real-name ticket purchasing from Jan. 2012

LHASA, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- Passengers traveling via the world's highest railway station in Lhasa, capital of southwest China's Tibet autonomous region, will be required to show their ID when purchasing a train ticket from Jan. 7, 2012.

The Lhasa Railway Police said Wednesday that passengers will be required to show their ID when purchasing a ticket, entering the station's platform, embarking on trains or getting a refund on a ticket after the real-name purchase system kicks off.

The real-name ticket purchasing policy will help curb the ticket scalping that typically booms during the Spring Festival (Jan. 22-28) travel rush, said Hu Chuanxin, an official with the Lhasa Railway Police.

The world's highest plateau railroad has transported over 10 million tourists since opening on July 1, 2006, helping to drive up Tibet's tourist numbers.