China’s rail operator apologises for holiday travel chaos but says it will seek to punish unruly passengers
- China Railway Corporation says it regrets upset caused to travellers as a result of some ‘unpleasant situations’
- But company will seek advice from the government and public on how to deal with those who refuse to comply with ticketing rules
The company that runs China’s railways apologised on Saturday for the chaotic scenes on trains and at stations during this year’s extended Labour Day holiday, but said it would also consider how passengers who contributed to the disruption should be punished.
An estimated 70 million people took rail trips between Tuesday and Saturday, with the peak coming on Wednesday, when a record 17 million passengers boarded trains across the country on May 1.
However, the huge crowds created big problems for operator China Railway Corporation (CRC).
“Some unpleasant situations occurred and upset some passengers. We hereby apologise for that,” state broadcaster China Central Television quoted an unidentified company official as saying.
Those cases included ticket-holding passengers being stopped from boarding trains between the east China cities of Nanjing and Zibo due to severe overcrowding, Beijing Youth Daily reported.