Han Ximin
HOLIDAYMAKERS returning home for the Spring Festival can book train tickets from today, 10 days ahead of the start of the holiday travel season.
Shenzhen Railway Station will set up counters at the north railway station, while Shenzhen West Railway Station will set up an office at nearby Xuefu Road for the collection of tickets. The office will be open between 8 a.m. and midnight from Jan. 10 to 16, and operate 24 hours a day after Jan. 17.
Uncollected tickets will be sent back to ticket outlets and ticket counters at railway stations for resale, Guangzhou Railway Group said yesterday. Intending travelers can call 9510-5105 and 9602-0088 to book tickets.
Shenzhen Railway Station expects to transport 1.44 million passengers during the pre-festival period an increase of 5 percent on 38 long-distance trains, including 18 temporary trains.
It estimates the travel peak will be between Jan. 23 and 30, the week before the holidays.
Shenzhen West Railway Station expects to handle 510,000 passengers during the pre-festival period. It will add 10 long-distance trains.
The Metro and bus companies will extend service hours and intensify intervals of departure, while Shenzhen Railway Station and Shenzhen West Railway Station will erect temporary shelters in corridors and squares for passengers.
For passengers who have to wait for trains at Pazhou Convention and Exhibition Center in Guangzhou, Shenzhen transport commission requires all long-distance buses to Guangdong Bus Terminal and Guangzhou Bus Terminal to stop at Pazhou station before heading for their destinations.
Other buses to Guangzhou are required to inform passengers to take free rides to Pazhou Station after they get off at bus terminals in Guangyuan, Tianhe, Jiaokou, Fangcun, Haizhu, Luochongwei and Guangzhou Railway East Station.
Shenzhen North Railway Station could not open as scheduled before the Spring Festival holidays because of a delay on the Shiziyang Tunnel project which also means Shenzhen travelers would not be able to take the high-speed rail from Shenzhen to Wuhan this year.
This is also the first year for holiday travelers to book the tickets of high-speed rail from Guangzhou to Wuhan with their identification.
The transport commission said traveling to Guangzhou South Railway Station would save time with the opening of the extension of Guangzhou Metro Line 2. Travelers from Shenzhen can take Metro Line 1 and change to Metro Line 2 after they get off at Guangzhou East Railway Station or take Metro Line 2 after they get off at Guangzhou Railway Station. The Metro fare is 6 yuan and the trip between Guangzhou East Railway Station and Guangzhou South Railway Station will take 40-50 minutes.
Shenzhen railway is expected to handle 2.1 million passengers during the 40-day Spring Festival season which starts Jan. 19.
