Shanghai railway stations are tightening security controls for passengers heading to Beijing from October 9 to 31, in a bid to ensure safety for the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China scheduled to convene on October 18. [Special coverage]
Starting from Monday, passengers taking Beijing-bound trains from Shanghai will be guided to specific waiting halls and receive double the usual security checks.
The city's public security department urged the three major stations in Shanghai to examine the consistency of information on passengers' tickets and identities, enhance accuracy of the facial recognition security system, and strengthen investigation at critical points of the stations.
The railway police also asked for cooperation from passengers, reminding them to arrive at the stations earlier as it will take longer to go through the double security checks.
It is not the first time Shanghai railway stations have raised the levels of its security precautions. The three major stations of the city tightened checks for passengers leaving for Xiamen and Fuzhou in August to ensure safety for the 2017 BRICS Summit held in Xiamen on September 3.
Apart from Shanghai, railway stations in some other cities have also adopted stricter security regulations for the forthcoming twice-a-decade Party congress.
The Zhengzhou Railway Bureau of Central China's Henan Province carried out double security checks and established specific waiting-halls for Beijing-bound passengers to ensure safety on Sunday.
Starting Monday, passengers heading for Beijing from Weifang, East China's Shandong Province, will have their luggage opened and checked by security inspectors.
