Chinese to get train tickets via smartphones

BEIJING -- The Ministry of Railways announced Wednesday that it plans to launch a new service that will allow the public to purchase tickets via smartphones by the end of the month.

The service marks the nation's railway authority's latest move to make ticket purchasing more convenient since it opened online ticket-purchasing platform www.12306.cn late last year.

Passengers will be able to book and pay for tickets with smartphones operating on the iOS or Android systems, a statement on the ministry's website said Wednesday.

The statement said a trial period will allow passengers in Shanghai to make reservations for tickets on certain dates during the upcoming 8-day period covering the National Day holiday and the Mid-Autumn Festival that will start on September 30.

The ministry estimates that a total of 75.4 million trips will be made via train from Sept 27 to Oct 7, with 6.86 million trips each day.

According to the statement, trial reservations are aimed at preventing system failures on the ministry's online ticketing platform when great numbers of passengers log on to buy tickets.

Earlier this year, users complained about the computerized system after it crashed due to overwhelming demand for tickets ahead of the traditional Spring Festival, China's most important festival.