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Identification checks on trains to Beijing, Xinjiang and Tibet

AFP, 28 October 2012

Passengers travelling by train to Beijing, Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region and Tibet autonomous region will have to undergo identification checks, reported China Daily this week.

From October 23, all train ticket buyers must register their names and be subject to a spot check of identification before boarding the train. Those who are unable to provide valid identification papers corresponding to their train tickets will be turned away. This measure represents a tightening of security checks prior to train boarding, as opposed to the current standard practice whereby only 5 percent of boarding passengers have their identification papers checked, according to Sina English news website.

China’s railway authorities earlier implemented a real-name ticket purchasing system, requiring all passengers to provide their identification papers when buying tickets, reported Xinhua news agency last December.

The move for all passengers to undergo identification checks comes about as the Chinese authorities crack down on rampant ticket scalpers who make profits by buying and reselling train tickets at high prices.

Ticket scalping is particularly rampant in China during holiday season. China’s railway police launched last month a nationwide crackdown on ticket scalping during the Golden Week holiday period from September 30 to October 7, as well as targeting people selling fake railway tickets, reported China Daily last month.

http://sg.news.yahoo.com/identification-checks-trains-beijing-xinjiang-tibet-192001228.html