The Spring Festival travel rush begins January 28 and will end March 8 this year. Beijing train stations have now fully implemented an electronic ticket system, which allows boarding through face recognition and verification for travelers with either ID cards, residence permit for residents of Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, and permanent residence permit for foreigners. Rather than collecting printed tickets in advance, the new system realizes contactless services for all steps of train travel, from ticket purchase and station entry to waiting to board, transferring, and station exit.

Starting January 28, passengers who have missed their train may change their tickets for other available trains to depart before 24:00 on the same day using China's official railway booking site, 12306.cn (including its mobile application and WeChat mini-program), or in person at the ticket changing window of any train station.

In addition, Beijing South Railway Station has upgraded its 26 automatic ticketing machines to support ticket cancellation, with which passengers opting for non-cash payment may return tickets on the machine directly.

The railway authority extends the business hours of 12306, now available fromto 05:00 to 23:30, and manages to increase tickets for buyers on the waiting list. The 12306 service center also adds English service staff to assist foreign passengers with inquiries and resolution of boarding issues.

(Note: Content source is from Beijing Daily.)