China Railway to pilot 60-day advance ticket requests on Beijing–Shanghai routes

(ECNS) -- China State Railway Group Co., Ltd. will launch a ticket-request pilot Monday, July 20, covering more than 200 trains on the Beijing–Shanghai high-speed and conventional rail lines.

Passengers will be able to submit requests through the Railway 12306 mobile app up to 60 days before departure. 

The service offers two options. Under “exact reservation,” passengers can select specific trains, departure and arrival times, and seat classes.

Under “flexible reservation,” they can provide broader preferences, including time ranges, journey duration and seat class. Each account can have up to three pending orders, with no more than 19 passengers per order.

Requests may be filed between 60 and 17 days before departure. The system will process them between 20 and 16 days before travel and notify passengers of the outcome. The full request window will become standard from Aug. 30.

The company said the service will help it assess demand earlier and adjust train schedules, capacity and ticket allocations accordingly.