Starting January 15, the "Easy Travel" services have been further piloted in China. In Beijing alone, the services are now available at all seven major railway stations: Beijing Railway Station, Beijingxi Railway Station, Beijingnan Railway Station, Beijingbei Railway Station, Beijing Fengtai Railway Station, Beijing Chaoyang Railway Station, and Qinghe Railway Station.

In the same city and within 35 kilometers of the departure or arrival stations, passengers may choose between two "Easy Travel" services based on their actual needs.

The first is the "door-to-station" luggage transfer service for departing passengers. After selecting this service, staff will collect the checked luggage compliant with regulations from the passenger's specified location and transport the luggage to the departure station where, after security clearance, the luggage will be delivered to the passenger's boarding platform or a designated in-station luggage service cabinet/counter.

The second is the "station-to-door" luggage handling 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 specified location within the agreed timeframe.

Passengers who have already purchased tickets can book the "Easy Travel" services via the "Railway 12306" (铁路12306) app, the "Railway 12306" WeChat mini-program, or the "China Railway Express" (中铁快运) WeChat mini-program. For the "door-to-station" service, a reservation must be made 4 to 48 hours before departure. Staff will collect the luggage compliant with regulations from the passenger's specified location, transport it to the departure station, and, after security clearance, store the luggage in a luggage service cabinet/counter 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, a reservation must be made 1 to 24 hours before the train's arrival. Staff will collect the luggage from the passenger's boarding platform or designated in-station luggage service cabinet/counter and deliver the luggage to the specified location within 5 hours of collection.

Any passenger selecting a "Easy Travel" service must ensure that the luggage's weight and dimensions comply with the Regulations of China State Railway Group on Passenger Railway Transport, which stipulates that each child passenger may carry 10 kilograms, each diplomat 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. Passengers shall also comply with the relevant requirements of the Catalog of Prohibited and Restricted Items for Carriage and Check-in by Railway Passengers issued by China's National Railway Administration and Ministry of Public Security.

During the pilot phase of the "Easy Travel" services, fees are charged per piece, with the price being CNY 68 per piece for "from the departure point to the station" and "from the station to the destination", and CNY 98 per piece for "from the departure point to the boarding platform" and "from the boarding platform to the destination". Subsequent adjustments will be made dynamically based on market demand, operational costs, and other factors. For business class passengers at six stations (Beijingxi, Beijingnan, Guangzhounan, Shanghai, Shanghai Hongqiao, and Hangzhoudong), luggage can be delivered to the business class lounges at a price of CNY 98 per item.

Passengers requiring additional information about the "Easy Travel" services can call the customer service hotlines (12306 and 95572), or inquire via the "Railway 12306" app, the "Railway 12306" WeChat mini-program, and station announcements.

(Source: Beijing Fabu)