On Aug 20, a new e-card service was introduced at all stations of the Shanghai-Nanjing High-Speed Railway along the Yangtze River and the Shanghai-Nanjing Intercity Railway, meaning passengers no longer need to book tickets before boarding.

The service allows passengers to easily pass through the gate machine by simply showcasing their QR code generated on the Railway 12306 app, the State-run train ticket booking platform.

The e-card service operates on a "reservation + appointment" model. A certain number of seats are reserved for e-card users, and when passengers scan their codes to enter the station, seats are automatically assigned to them.

The Shanghai-Suzhou-Nantong Railway had already implemented the e-card service. With the recent introduction of this service on the new route, people traveling from Taicang to Nanjing, Jurong, Jintan, Wujin, Jiangyin, Zhangjiagang, Changshu, Nantong, or Shanghai no longer need to book tickets in advance.

How to use the e-card service on the 12306 app?

Click the "e-card service" icon on the app's homepage, then the "scan QR code to board" icon to fill in your personal information.

The e-card service on the homepage of the 12306 app. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The e-card service on the homepage of the 12306 app. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]