National train ticket site adds waitlist function

China's national railway operator has on Wednesday added a new function to help people buy tickets on the booking site 12306.cn and its related app, the Beijing News reported.

When the desired train tickets are not available at the ticket booking site and the app of the China Railway Corporation, a person can use the "waiting" function, and the system will add the wanted ticket information to a list.

One person could make an order for three tickets in the waiting list, and the function will be free and much more efficient than other third-party software to grab tickets, according to the operator.

When ticket buyers cancel or change their tickets, the system will allocate the returned tickets to waiting buyers on the list.

To use this function, people have to pass a verification process on their status through facial recognition.

They will have to prepay the maximum price for each ticket, and once they have obtained the tickets, the difference from the actual fare will be refunded. If they failed to get tickets, the system will also return their money.

The operator will timely inform people as to whether they have successfully bought tickets through short messages, WeChat or mobile app information. The function will end the service at 7 pm at least one day before the train's departure date.