Commentator: Wang Xiaona
If you can travel with your pet, you must be able to let go of some worries.
On May 9, the China Railway Customer Service Center launched the "Questionnaire on Pet Transport for Railway Passengers on High-speed Rail" in the questionnaire suggestion column on the EMU railway travel code. This shows that pets are expected to be on the high-speed rail in the future.
Pets are like family members who can't speak, although their lives are small, their feelings are not shallow, and the "shovel officers" often break their hearts for pets. When returning to your hometown and traveling on vacation, leave some food for your pet to "stay in the empty room", worry that the house will be messed up, send it to the pet store for foster care, and worry that the pet is not suitable......
High-speed rail can transport pets, which is undoubtedly good news for pet owners. But the railway sector is not facing a small number of management difficulties. Whether the pet has a quarantine certificate, how to design the pet compartment, how to solve the pet defecation in the long distance, how to deal with the noise and odor of the pet...... In addition to regular pets such as cats and dogs, there are also niche pets such as snakes, lizards, spiders, etc. to consider. It is conceivable that if pets are allowed on the high-speed rail, the railway needs to invest a lot of manpower and material resources.
In the questionnaire, the railway department listed the issues that pet owners are concerned about, such as "acceptable transportation time" and "pricing standards", and also took into account the aspects of avoiding pets affecting others and protecting the health of pets, and also solicited suggestions from non-pet owners for high-speed rail pet transportation. It is believed that the railway authorities will be fully prepared in many ways when they launch pet transportation services in the near future.
According to the "2023-2024 China Pet Industry White Paper (Consumption Report)", in 2023, the number of pet dogs in mainland China will be 51.75 million and the number of pet cats will be 69.8 million. With the popularity of the "pet economy", more and more people will join the "pet army". The potential market for high-speed rail pets is huge.
High-speed rail transportation of pets can greatly alleviate the problem of pet travel and is the embodiment of humanized service. It is indeed a challenge for the railway sector to do a good job in this service, but it is precisely because of the spirit of facing difficulties and the sense of considerate service that the society can usher in progress. High-speed rail takeaways, silent carriages and other facilities are also constantly improving in exploration. The railway sector, which is willing to take the initiative to "make trouble" for itself, deserves public encouragement.