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].

Core Viewpoint - The railway department has introduced a ticketing strategy for long-distance trains to address the issue of "tickets available for long distances but not for short distances," advising short-distance travelers to avoid purchasing long-distance segment tickets and to utilize the ticket waiting list effectively [1][2][3]. Ticketing Strategy - The railway department adheres to the principle of "reasonable division of long and short-distance trains, considering both starting and intermediate stations" to organize train operations, primarily focusing on meeting the needs of long-distance travelers [2][4]. - The ticketing strategy for long-distance trains is based on "long-distance priority, with consideration for medium and short distances," allocating most tickets to starting or nearby stations to prioritize long-distance travelers while also ensuring a fair distribution for medium and short-distance travelers [2][4]. Ticket Sales Process - The ticket sales process for long-distance trains involves three main stages: 1. **Pre-allocation of Tickets**: 20% of tickets are allocated to nearby starting stations based on historical passenger flow data before ticket sales begin, with the remaining tickets allocated to high-demand long-distance segments [2][4]. 2. **Dynamic Adjustment**: One day after ticket sales start, if there are remaining tickets, the railway department will adjust ticket allocations based on remaining ticket numbers and waiting list requests, prioritizing those who have submitted waiting list orders [2][4]. 3. **Open Sales**: Tickets that remain before the train departs will be made available without restrictions on segments, again prioritizing those on the waiting list [2][4]. Waiting List and Ticket Availability - During the dynamic adjustment and open sales phases, the system will prioritize fulfilling waiting list requests based on the "first come, first served" principle, and additional trains may be added if there is high demand [3][5]. - Since the beginning of the Spring Festival travel season, 12.8 million tickets have been fulfilled through the waiting list, with a success rate exceeding 70%, of which 51% were short-distance tickets [5].