Train-ticket info updates available every 8 minutes

Passengers who buy train tickets from the four major railway stations in Beijing can now enjoy train ticket selling information updates every eight minutes through electronic display boards, the Beijing News reported on Monday.

The new services made available at Beijing's stations will make train ticket buyers easily aware how many train tickets are still available for a certain train that they are queuing up for, particular during the rush times of Chinese lunar new year train travels.

The new service is a big change from an original electronic display service which previously only told people whether tickets are available or not, but not the numbers left.

The Beijing News says passengers will also benefit from the update service, including the ticket booking period and the purchase limit of the most-wanted tickets.

According to sources with the Ministry of Railways, the train ticket selling information update service will also be introduced to other parts of the country.

Hailing the new measure as helpful, many people still suggest that the new service be extended to ticket-selling agencies and be made available on the Internet as well.

(2009-02-10 source:china.org.cn)