From June 15, 2024, China Railway 12306 will adjust the fares of several high-speed rail lines, which has attracted widespread public attention. The price adjustment mainly includes the Wuhan-Guangzhou section of the Beijing-Guangzhou high-speed railway, the Shanghai-Hangzhou section of the Shanghai-Kunming high-speed railway, the Hangzhou-long section of the Shanghai-Kunming high-speed railway, and the Hangzhou-Ningbo section of the Hangzhou-Shenzhen railway.
According to the price adjustment announcement released on the official website of Railway 12306, in order to improve the operation quality of high-speed rail and meet the different travel needs of passengers, the fares of EMU trains with a speed of 300 kilometers per hour and above on the above lines will be optimized and adjusted. According to market conditions, we will distinguish between seasons, dates, time periods, seats and other factors, establish a flexible pricing mechanism, and implement a differentiated discount floating strategy with rising and falling.
Specifically, some fare caps (i.e., "published fares") will increase. For example, the second-class ticket price from Hangzhou East Station to Ningbo Station on the Hangzhou-Ningbo section of the Hangzhou-Shenzhen Railway will increase from 71 yuan to 85 yuan, an increase of about 19.72%. The second-class ticket price from Hangzhou East Station to Changsha South Station of the Hangzhou-Long Section of the Shanghai-Kunming High-speed Railway will rise from 405 yuan to 485 yuan, an increase of about 19.75%. At the same time, the minimum ticket price will be reduced. For example, the minimum fare for a second-class seat from Wuhan Station to Guangzhou South Railway Station will be reduced from the current 423 yuan to 304 yuan, a reduction of about 34%.
The relevant person in charge of China Railway Group said that the price adjustment is a normal market behavior, and emphasized that the follow-up service quality will be further improved. The price adjustment is seen as part of China Railway Group's deepening supply-side structural reform, aiming to improve the quality of high-speed rail operation by innovating supply and driving demand.
The dynamic price adjustment of high-speed rail has been implemented in China's railways for several years, aiming to implement high quality and high prices according to the passenger flow, with both rising and falling. This variable fare strategy offers an opportunity to avoid peak hours and reduce travel costs for price-sensitive travelers with large time redundancy.
In general, the railway 12306 price adjustment aims to promote the growth of passenger flow and comprehensively improve the quality of passenger service through the flexible implementation of the market-oriented mechanism of high-speed rail fares. When purchasing tickets, passengers can choose the right time and fare according to their needs and budget. In addition, China Railway Group is also actively exploring other measures to improve service quality to meet the growing travel needs of passengers.
For example, China Railway Group is promoting high-speed rail ordering services to provide passengers with more diverse dining options. In addition, China Railway Group is also studying the introduction of intelligent security inspection systems to improve security screening efficiency and reduce passenger queuing time. In the future, China Railway Group also plans to launch more convenient services, such as full Wi-Fi coverage of high-speed rail, intelligent navigation, etc., to improve the travel experience of passengers.
The relevant person in charge of China Railway Group said that they will continue to work hard to continuously optimize high-speed rail services to make passenger travel more convenient and comfortable. At the same time, they also hope that the majority of passengers can understand and support the fare adjustment and jointly promote the development of China's railways.