Train tickets for the first day of the 2026 Spring Festival travel rush went on sale on Jan 19.

This year's travel rush period, known as chunyun, will run from Feb 2 to March 13. Chunyun is widely regarded as the world's largest annual human migration, as hundreds of millions of people return home to reunite with their families for the Spring Festival, China's most important traditional holiday.

During the 40-day period, the national railway network is expected to handle more than 539 million passenger trips, according to China State Railway Group, the country's railway operator.

This year, the Chinese New Year holiday has been extended to nine days, from Feb 15 to 23. Train tickets will be available for purchase up to 15 days before the departure date. If you have any travel plans during the period, make sure you book early to avoid the peak travel times.

To better accommodate the surge in travel demand, railway operators have rolled out a range of service upgrades, including a limited-time free refund policy for mistakenly purchased tickets and expanded "quiet-carriage" services.

For tickets dated Feb 2 or later, passengers may obtain a full online refund if the ticket is canceled within 30 minutes of purchase and at least 4 hours before departure.

The "quiet carriage" service, which designates specific cars for passengers seeking a calmer onboard environment, was initially piloted on selected high-speed routes and will be available on about 8,000 trains nationwide from Feb 1.

 

How to buy train tickets

To purchase a ticket at a service window, you only need to present your ID (passport). Tickets can also be bought on a mobile phone through the official China Railway website or via the China Railway 12306 (铁路12306) app.

First, register and log in, then set the language to English. Next, enter your departure location, destination, and departure date to search for tickets.

Next, select the train you want to take, enter the personal information of all passengers, choose seats, and finally submit your order and pay.

After completing the payment, you can check your tickets in the "Order" section.

In the past, traveling by train often meant waiting in long queues to collect paper tickets before boarding. However, the introduction of e-ticket services has streamlined this process.

Now, all you need to do is to swipe your passport or Foreign Permanent Resident ID Card at automatic check-in machines or present it at the manual ticket inspection gate.

 

Source: 12306 China Railway