The Chinese New Year is coming! This year is the Year of the Snake. Also, the annual population migration event has begun. This year's Spring Festival travel rush runs from January 14 to February 22. The peak travel days are expected to be January 27-28, which are the day before Chinese New Year's Eve and Chinese New Year's Eve, as well as February 3-4, the last two days of the Spring Festival holiday. Trains, as a popular and economical mode of transportation in China, will be busier than ever during this time.
Every year, the China Railway will implement a policy to deal with this travel rush. To help passengers understand and make a better travel plan during this time, we will introduce this policy during the Spring Festival travel rush.
The cancellation policy during the Spring Festival is as follow:
If the travel date of the endorsed ticket falls within the Spring Festival rush period (from January 14 to February 22), a cancellation fee of 20% of the ticket fee will be charged when requesting a refund, whether you cancel 7 days before departure or within 48 hours before departure but more than 24 hours prior. For tickets that have not been changed or for tickets that have been changed but are refunded within 24 hours before departure, the refund will still be charged according to our original refund policy. (Not applicable to trains operating to or from Hong Kong, China.)
(If you have any inquiries, please feel free to reach out to us)
Reason:
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Policy background: During Spring Festival travel rush, there is a surge in demand for railway transportation, leading to tight ticket availability. Increasing the cancellation fee can help alleviate ticket shortages caused by last-minute itinerary changes.
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Encouraging passengers to plan ahead: the regulations underscore the importance of travelers meticulously organizing their journeys in advance, thereby minimizing last-minute alterations. This proactive approach aids railway authorities in optimizing capacity management, ensuring a smoother ticketing and travel experience for a greater number of passengers.
Implication and Suggestions
1. Impication: For travelers with uncertain plans, inconvenience may arise, especially for those who require frequent itinerary changes.
2. Suggestions:
(1) It is advised that passengers thoroughly consider their travel requirements before purchasing tickets, aiming to avoid last-minute rescheduling or cancellations.
(2) Simultaneously, staying abreast of real-time ticketing information can facilitate the optimal decision-making process.
(3) Also, consider choosing several additional alternatives or noting your alternative train options before making the payment. (Please refer to the images below for the detailed steps.) Because the train is the most popular mode of transportation in China, and most Chinese people prefer this economical and fast option. Many Chinese people will be purchasing the train tickets for the same train you want to take at the same time.
(4) If you want to avoide the crowd, it is better to choose travel by airplane during Chinese New Year holiday.
During the 2024 Spring Festival travel rush, the national railway system sent a total of 484 million passengers, with an average of 12.089 million passengers sent per day.The 2024 Spring Festival travel rush is the year with the highest number of passengers ever recorded. Therefore, this year, the number of Chinese people traveling by train during the Spring Festival travel rush will not be small. As this year's travel rush has begun, passengers who plan to take the train during this period should make their plans in advance, preferably with multiple options.
China Train Booking wishes you a happy Chinese New Year!
