Business-class tickets for the 85 high-speed trains operating on the country's busiest railway line will be reduced by 10 to 20 percent, while tickets for premium seats will be cut by 10 percent.
Rail travellers will enjoy discounts when buying business-class tickets and premium seats on Beijing-Shanghai high-speed trains from June 27, according to China’s Ministry of Railways. Business-class tickets for the 85 high-speed trains operating on the country’s busiest railway line will be reduced by 10 to 20 percent, while tickets for premium seats will be cut by 10 percent, according to a statement posted on the website of the ministry.
According to Xinhua, after the price cut, business-class tickets will be lowered to between 1,400 yuan (US$ 222.22) and 1,575 yuan from the current 1,750 yuan. Prices of premium seats will stand at 949 yuan, down from the current 1,055 yuan.
The discounts will vary according to different trains, the time of ticket purchases and the day of departure, according to the statement. The ministry’s move aims to attract more passengers to business class, which has been suffering from low attendance. However, Zhao Jian, professor at the Beijing Jiaotong University, said the new policy may have little effect as the discounts are not big enough.
He suggested that railway authorities instead adopt a floating pricing system (according to the principle of yield management already used by airlines) to maintain competitiveness.
Luc Citrinot a French national is a freelance journalist and consultant in tourism and air transport with over 20 years experience. Based in Paris and Bangkok, he works for various travel and air transport trade publications in Europe and Asia.
