Train tickets bought online will no longer display names

The Chinese railway authorities say passengers' names will no longer be printed on the tickets bought online starting January 13 -- ID numbers, on the other hand, will remain.

Passengers will be required to input their names or aliases when purchasing tickets on the official website run by the China Railway Corporation. However, their names won't be revealed on the ticket cards.

However, for tickets bought through box offices and by telephone, names will still be visible.

Tickets purchased online have had every kind of name printed on them, including characters from cartoons and novels. One ticket read that the passenger's name was "Qingfeng Steamed Stuffed Bun Shop". No matter how peculiar the names are, all of these ticket-holders had successfully boarded the train.

One passenger said that many people use aliases to protect their privacy.

According to the staff at the railway department, names are not necessary if the ID number matches the information of the purchase.

The railway authorities added that passengers should not try using false names again, and the passenger is to blame if any problems occur due to using an alias.