The new policy on train ticket purchases has sparked a debate over the Ministry of Railways' motivation for implementing it as the Lunar New Year travel period approaches.
Passengers will be required to give identity information when they buy tickets at 37 stations of the Guangzhou and Chengdu railway bureaus, according to the ministry, which announced the pilot programme at the weekend.
Railway staff will also double-check passengers' identity cards with tickets when they enter railway stations, and those without proper documents would not be allowed in, according to the policy.
The move, which aims to reduce mass ticket purchases by scalpers and the manufacture of fake tickets, was welcomed by respondents to a Shanghai Morning Post survey of 76 people. Sixty-five, or 86 per cent, believed the new system could at least partly solve the problem.
While some policy analysts applauded the move, they also said it was surprising to see railway authorities launch an idea that had been repeatedly rejected. Supporters of such a move have previously said ID cards or other documents should be presented when buying tickets.
Others questioned the motivation for the new policy.
'Just early last year, [railway authorities] said the idea was impossible,' said Tong Dahuan, a Beijing-based columnist who has been following the issue. 'I personally think it is not a victory of public opinion but of interests inside the government.'