Recently, netizens have raised questions about apparent ticket price increases on certain trains during the National Day holiday travel period. For instance, the D988 service from Chongqing North to Nanjing South was priced from 446 yuan on September 25th but increased to 520 yuan starting September 30th, sparking widespread discussion online.
In response, the railway ticketing platform 12306 clarified that this is not a price hike but rather a difference in discount levels. Upon checking the platform, a reporter confirmed that the fares for this train on those two dates were indeed 446 yuan and 520 yuan, respectively. However, a closer look revealed small labels next to the prices indicating a 60% discount and a 70% discount on the respective days.
The reporter then contacted railway 12306 as a customer and was told that the prices displayed on the page are the discounted fares currently in effect. Passengers who wish to see the original ticket price can click to view the official published fare. This action revealed that the published second-class seat fare for the D988 train is 743 yuan.
According to relevant regulations, including the Price Law of the People's Republic of China, the Railway Law of the People's Republic of China, and the Central Pricing Catalog, passenger ticket prices for bullet trains are independently set by railway transport enterprises in accordance with the law. These rules specify that the published fare serves as the ceiling price for train tickets. Railway companies can set different discounted fares below this ceiling, taking into account factors such as season, working days, weekends, and holidays, as well as time periods, train speed, seat class, route segments, and market competition. This allows prices to flexibly fluctuate based on market demand, though the discounted fare can never exceed the published fare.
Since December 2020, high-speed rail lines such as the Beijing-Shanghai and Chengdu-Chongqing routes have adopted a market-oriented pricing mechanism with flexible discounts, allowing prices to rise or fall. This system has been gradually expanded over the years, with most newly opened high-speed rail lines also implementing this flexible pricing approach.