That tickets for all long-distance train can be booked online now is great news for passengers and a big milestone for the Ministry of Railways. But railway officials should make more efforts so that the new online booking system works properly, says an article in Xinhua News. Excerpts:

Long queues moving at snail's pace at railway and bus stations have been a prominent feature during the peak travel season of Spring Festival as hundreds of millions of people try to book a ticket home.

Though the availability of railway tickets online is now expected to end this spectacle, the railway authorities have to take measures to prevent scalpers from misusing the system, or else millions of passengers will keep becoming victims of the touts.

Also, since the online booking service requires first-time users to register with important personal information, including ID and cell phone numbers, any leak of information will cause great trouble and could endanger the safety of such people and their property. So, the authorities have to take protective measures against hackers and insiders who could steal such information for personal interests.

Some people fear that since most of the tickets would now be booked online, it will become more difficult to buy tickets through phone booking or by queuing up at railway counters. Hence, the authorities have to also ensure fair distribution of tickets to all the sources.

(China Daily 12/29/2011 page9)