Photo via VCG

Starting from June 28, China Railway has piloted the Easy Travel service at 19 stations including Beijing West Railway Station, Beijing South Railway Station, Shanghai Hongqiao Railway Station, Shanghai Railway Station, Hangzhou East Railway Station, Hangzhou Railway Station, Hefei South Railway Station, Guangzhou South Railway Station, Shenzhen North Railway Station, Changsha South Railway Station, Chengdu East Railway Station, Chengdu West Railway Station, Kunming Railway Station, Kunming South Railway Station, Dali Railway Station, Lijiang Railway Station, Baoshan Railway Station, Pu'er Railway Station, and Xishuangbanna Railway Station.

This service offers passengers door-to-station and station-to-door luggage transfer within the same city. Additionally, the Easy Travel function is now available on the Railway 12306 application and WeChat mini-program, enabling passengers to make online reservations.

In the same city and within 35 kilometers of the departure or arrival stations, passengers may choose between two types of Easy Travel services based on their actual needs. The first is the door-to-station luggage transfer service for departing passengers. For this service, staff will collect luggage fit for consignment according to regulations from the passenger's designated location and transport it to the departure station, where, after security check, the luggage will be delivered to the boarding platform or a designated in-station luggage service cabinet/counter. The second is the station-to-door service for arriving passengers. For this service, staff will collect luggage from the passenger's arrival platform or a designated in-station luggage service cabinet/counter, then deliver it to the designated location within the agreed timeframes.

For the door-to-station service, reservations must be made between 48 hours and 4 hours before departure. Staff will collect luggage from the passenger's designated location, transport it to the departure station, and—after security check—store it in a luggage service cabinet 30 minutes before departure, or deliver it to the platform 10 minutes before departure as per the passenger's request.

For the station-to-door service, reservations must be made between 24 hours and 1 hour before a train's arrival. Staff will collect luggage from the passenger's boarding platform or designated in-station luggage service cabinet/counter and deliver it to the designated location within five hours. Orders can be cancelled free of charge any time before collection.

Before luggage delivery to the specified location, staff will confirm with the passenger by phone. In case of last-minute itinerary changes such as ticket refund or re-booking, subsequent procedures will be handled according to the agreement and corresponding fees will be charged.

Passengers selecting the Easy Travel service must ensure that the weight and size of luggage comply with the Regulations of China State Railway Group on Passenger Railway Transport, which stipulate that each child passenger may carry 10 kilograms, each diplomatic personnel may carry 35 kilograms, and other passengers may carry 20 kilograms per person, with the sum of the length, width and height of a single piece of luggage not exceeding 160 centimeters for conventional trains and 130 centimeters for CRH trains. They shall also meet the relevant requirements of the Catalogue of Items Prohibited or Restricted for Carriage and Check-in by Railway Passengers issued by the National Railway Administration and the Ministry of Public Security.

During the pilot phase of the Easy Travel service, fees are charged per piece, with the price being CNY 68 per piece for departure-point-to-station and station-to-destination services, and CNY 98 per piece for departure-point-to-boarding-platform and boarding-platform-to-destination services. Subsequent adjustments will be made dynamically based on market demand, operational costs, and other factors. Passengers requiring additional information about such service can call the customer service hotlines 12306 and 95572, or inquire on the Railway 12306 application and WeChat mini-program, as well as check with station announcements.

(Source: China Railway)