Police crack down on holiday rail ticket scalping

BEIJING - China's railway police have launched a nationwide crackdown on ticket scalping, theft and other irregularities infringing upon travelers' legal rights during the upcoming holidays.

The campaign aims to "provide sound public order" for travelers during the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holidays running from September 30-October 7, according to a statement issued on Thursday by the Ministry of Railways' Public Security Bureau, which is supervised by the Ministry of Public Security.

The holidays will witness a large influx of travelers to railway stations around scenic spots, as well as homecomings for family reunions, the statement pointed out, adding police should run inspections at key entrances of railway stations and prevent fires and explosive accidents.

Police will target those defrauding travelers by selling fake railway tickets and crack down on crimes using fake ticket purchasing websites or phone numbers to deceive buyers, it said, adding the current real-name registration system has helped curb ticket scalping to some degree.