China helps migrant workers get train tickets

BEIJING, Dec. 25 (Xinhua) -- Rural migrant workers may find it easier to get train tickets home during the upcoming Spring Festival, as railway authorities will begin accepting ticket orders from their employers on Thursday.

The Ministry of Railways (MOR) said Tuesday that the employers of migrant workers can order round-trip tickets for their workers from 172 major train stations across the country.

The ministry said it will strive to make it convenient for migrant workers to get tickets during the coming Spring Festival, or Chinese Lunar New Year, which falls on Feb. 10, 2013.

The workers can book homebound tickets with dates between Jan. 26 and Feb. 8 and return tickets with dates from Feb. 13 to 28 through their employers.

Spring Festival is the most significant holiday in China and most people go back home for family reunions, making it difficult to get train tickets.

Data from the National Bureau of Statistics showed that China had a total of 252.78 million rural migrant workers as of 2011.

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