Travel demand during China’s May Day holiday is high, and multiple nighttime high-speed trains will be added during the peak travel periods at the beginning and end of the holiday.
According to CCTV News, China Railway will adjust the nighttime maintenance "windows" of high-speed rail lines during the peak travel periods at the start and end of the holiday, and on routes where passenger flow is particularly concentrated. While ensuring safety, from the night of April 29 to the early morning of May 2, and from the night of May 4 to the early morning of May 6, additional direct nighttime high-speed trains will operate on major high-speed rail routes such as Beijing-Shanghai, Beijing-Guangzhou, and Beijing-Harbin lines. On average, as many as 700 additional trains may be operated each day.
The tickets for these additional direct nighttime high-speed trains will be sold in stages according to direction. Some trains will start ticket sales seven days before departure, while others will start sales five days in advance. The arrangement of selling tickets between seven and five days ahead is mainly to ensure all relevant conditions are met before sales begin, in order to avoid premature ticket sales resulting in last-minute train cancellations due to bad weather or other unforeseen circumstances, which could impact passengers’ travel plans.
The specific ticket sale start date for each added direct nighttime high-speed train will be as shown on the 12306 ticketing website. The railway department reminds passengers to keep informed about new train information and to purchase tickets online seven to five days before departure.
The specific ticket sale start date for each added direct nighttime high-speed train will be as shown on the 12306 ticketing website. The railway department reminds passengers to keep informed about new train information and to purchase tickets online seven to five days before departure.