Core Viewpoint - The article discusses the ticketing strategy of long-distance trains during the Spring Festival travel season, highlighting the "long-distance priority, short-distance consideration" approach adopted by the railway department to optimize ticket sales and meet passenger demand [1][4]. Ticketing Strategy - The railway department implements a ticketing strategy that prioritizes long-distance travelers by allocating most tickets to the starting station or nearby stations, ensuring that long-distance travel needs are met first [1][4]. - The strategy includes three phases: 1. **Ticket Quota Pre-allocation**: 20% of tickets are allocated to nearby stations before sales begin, with the remaining tickets distributed based on demand for long-distance segments [2]. 2. **Dynamic Adjustment**: After ticket sales start, remaining long-distance tickets are adjusted based on demand and historical data, with a focus on fulfilling waiting list requests [2]. 3. **Open Sale**: Remaining long-distance tickets are made available for sale one day before or on the day of departure, prioritizing those who have submitted waiting list requests [2]. Example Case - For the G246 train from Guangzhou South to Shanghai Hongqiao, 21% of the total 1238 seats were allocated to nearby stations during the pre-allocation phase, with the remaining tickets focused on high-demand long-distance routes [3]. - During the dynamic adjustment phase, 395 long-distance tickets were released, fulfilling 272 waiting list requests [3]. Efficiency and Demand Management - The "long-distance priority, short-distance consideration" strategy is deemed effective in maximizing railway resource utilization and meeting rigid travel demands, especially during peak travel times like the Spring Festival [4]. - The railway system has seen a high demand for tickets, with 12.8 million tickets successfully issued through the waiting list system, achieving a success rate of over 70%, of which 51% were short-distance tickets [4].

Core Viewpoint - The railway ticketing strategy of China Railway 12306 prioritizes long-distance travel while accommodating short-distance needs, leading to a situation where long-distance tickets are available but short-distance tickets may not be [1][2]. Group 1: Ticketing Strategy - The strategy involves a three-phase ticket sales process for long-distance trains, focusing on meeting the needs of long-distance travelers first [1]. - "Long-distance priority" allocates most tickets to the starting station or nearby stations, ensuring that long-distance travelers are prioritized [2]. - "Accommodating short-distance" involves pre-allocating and dynamically adjusting ticket quotas to ensure fairness for short-distance travelers [2]. Group 2: Ticket Allocation Process - Pre-allocation of tickets involves distributing approximately 20% of tickets to nearby stations before sales begin, based on historical passenger flow data [2]. - Dynamic adjustment occurs one day after ticket sales start, redistributing remaining long-distance tickets to areas with high demand for short-distance travel [2]. - Open sales of remaining long-distance tickets occur one day or on the day of departure, following a "first-come, first-served" principle for those who have submitted requests for tickets [2].