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Loophole in online train booking system

A passenger from Fuzhou, Fujian Province posted photos online proving he had successfully purchased train tickets using fake names on China's official ticketing website, 12306.cn.

Net user 301_Moved_Permanently posted photos riding a train from Fuzhou to Fuzhou South Station with tickets bearing the names of Japanese cartoon characters on Friday.

His discovery undermines the multi-million yuan system designed to battle scalpers and prevent ticket hoarding during the upcoming 40-day Spring Festival travel season. Set to begin January 16, the period will see hundreds of millions of travelers riding the rails to return home for the lunar new year.

He explained he was inspired to challenge the system after he heard that any bogus name could be used to purchase tickets with the use of a valid ID number. However, the experiment exposed even bigger loopholes than expected.

Though automated ticketing machines would not recognize the booking, agents issued him a ticket at the window without a problem. Also, while conductors and police checked his tickets and ID aboard the train, they never compared numbers or checked the names.

Most Net users criticized the design of the website, while some discussed security issues.

"This website cost millions of yuan. Was it worth it?" wrote one Net user. "At last I know how scalpers still manage to buy train tickets. The designers of the website are relatives," commented Shenzhangdebibang.

"Conductors only check the validity of tickets and the photos on ID cards," posted Feisongxiaojiadian from Guangzhou, Guangdong Province. Another Net user from Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region commented that names are not as important as ID numbers, which are permanent.

Global Times