The Spring Festival Travel Rush is China's largest annual human migration. Every year during this period, hundreds of millions of people leave the cities where they work and return to their hometowns to reunite with their families for the Chinese New Year. Embodying people's longing to see their families again, the travel rush also vividly encapsulates the strong family values and traditional customs of the Spring Festival of Chinese society.
Tickets for the first day of the 2026 Spring Festival Travel Rush (February 2) officially went on sale on January 19. Passengers can purchase tickets via the official website or mobile app of Railway 12306, or at ticket counters at railway stations.
Recently, railway authorities have introduced several new passenger-friendly measures, including limited-time full ticket refunds for mistaken purchases and the addition of more "quiet carriages".
Starting from January 19, the Railway 12306 platforms (including the website and the mobile app) have rolled out a limited-time full refund service for mistaken ticket purchases.
When purchasing train tickets using electronic payment or reward points for passenger trains running within the Chinese mainland or cross-boundary services to/from West Kowloon Station in Hong Kong SAR, with departure dates on or after February 2, passengers who make an accidental purchase can apply for a full online refund within 30 minutes of payment confirmation and at least 4 hours before departure.
Refunds for electronic payments will be returned to the original payment method. For tickets bought with reward points, the points will be fully credited back, with no change to their validity periods. Each passenger can only get one such refund per calendar day. This service does not apply to ticket rescheduling, advance reservations, or waitlisted bookings.
Currently, the railway authorities implement a tiered refund policy, under which refunds processed within the full refund period do not count against the quota for full mistaken-purchase refunds. Additionally, for tickets mistakenly purchased at station ticket counters, passengers must make applications on the spot, and staff will promptly assist them in issuing new tickets.
Starting February 1, the quiet carriage service will be extended to all D-series and G-series electric multiple unit (EMU) trains except for sleeper EMU trains. After that, the number of trains offering the quiet carriage service nationwide will increase to over 8,000.
A quiet carriage refers to a designated train carriage where the volume of on-board audio and visual broadcasts is limited, with passengers encouraged to maintain a quiet environment, providing all travelers with a more peaceful journey. This service caters to passengers' diverse travel needs and enhances their travel experience.
Trains with quiet carriage service are marked with the Chinese character "静" (Quiet) on the ticketing interface of the Railway 12306 platforms, and passengers must agree to the quiet carriage regulations before purchasing tickets.
(Sources: Beijing Daily, China Railway)
