Web browser providers were ordered by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) to stop providing train ticket-buying assistance plug-ins on Friday, China National Radio reported.

The Ministry of Railways (MOR) complained about plug-in services of Web browsers to the MIIT on Friday, a day after software companies were ordered to suspend such services.

"We are communicating with the MOR on the issue. We will provide any necessary help to the MOR so passengers can solve difficulties in purchasing tickets," Li Ping, a public relations officer for software firm Kingsoft, told the Global Times on Friday.

Li claimed MOR officials spoke with representatives from Beijing-based Kingsoft on Thursday over its Web browser plug-in that helps users search and book railway tickets via the MOR's official website.

Ahead of the Spring Festival travel rush in February, millions are scrambling to book train tickets home for the year's most important traditional festival. The MOR's website for booking tickets was criticized upon its launch last year due to inefficiency. This prompted companies to develop the plug-ins.

People were excited about the plug-ins.

"It really works. When I submitted my order, the system said some 1,100 people were in the queue ahead of me. However, after waiting one or two minutes, the browser told me my ticket had been successfully booked," Zhou Jinzeng, a white-collar worker in Shanghai, said in a post on his Sina Weibo account Friday.

But the MOR complained that the  plug-ins had put huge pressure over the already-exhausted ticket-booking site, making it unfair for buyers who weren't tech-savvy.

Zhu Jiansheng, deputy director of the Institute of Computing Technology at the China Academy of Railway Sciences, told The Economic Daily newspaper on Wednesday that such software could lead to passengers' personal information being leaked.

"Moreover, it isn't fair for other passengers," said Zhu, whose department was responsible for developing the MOR's official booking website.

CCTV earlier this month reported the case of migrant worker Huang Qinghong, who was unsuccessful in trying to book a train ticket from Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province to his home in Sichuan Province.

"I went to railway station ticket office four times, but failed to book a ticket each time because they had all been sold to people who booked online. I don't know how to book a ticket online," he said.

All tickets for trains operating during the Spring Festival travel rush can be purchased 20 days in advance online or over the phone, but only 18 days in advance at railway station ticket offices.