Railway stations embrace volume peak in orderly fashion

BEIJING, Jan. 20 (Xinhua) -- As millions of travelers board trains to go home for the Spring Festival, China's railway stations are adding trains and increasing staff members amid the heat of the world's largest annual migration.

More than 6 million passengers got on trains on Thursday, marking the volume peak of the travel rush four days ahead of the Chinese Lunar New Year, which falls on Jan. 23 this year, according to the Ministry of Railways.

The ministry ordered the addition of 703 trains nationwide on Thursday to handle the record-setting daily traffic volume.

Throngs of passengers have been seen in railway stations across China, but the process of getting them onto trains has been largely smooth, though slower, as this year's real-name ticket purchase adds an extra identification procedure for train travelers.

"Most passengers are aware of the identification procedure and have been cooperative during check-in," said a volunteer at the Shanghai Railway Station.

China required all train ticket buyers to register their names and have their ID cards checked prior to boarding, a real-name system introduced to stem the rampant ticket scalping that has plagued the Spring Festival travel rush for years.

In another effort to make purchasing train tickets more accessible, the Ministry of Railways now allows customers to book tickets online or by phone, which also eased strains on railway stations by cutting the long lines at ticket booths.