Railway 12306 Launches Pet Transport Service on 50 Trains

Recently, attentive netizens have noticed a new green box labeled with the character "宠" (meaning "pet") next to certain train schedules on the official 12306 railway ticketing page. Railway 12306 customer service staff explained that the "宠" symbol indicates that pet transport services are available for these trains.

At present, 50 trains have been marked with the "宠" symbol. 

The most popular routes for pet transport include those between Beijing and Shanghai, Hangzhou, Nanjing, as well as between Shenzhen and Changsha.

Service Upgrade: Pets Can Be Transported UnaccompaniedThe pet transport service, which was launched in April this year, initially offered the option for passengers to transport pets on only 10 trains departing from five stations along the Beijing-Shanghai line. In just over six months, the service has expanded to cover 50 trains across various routes.

As of October 31, a total of 4,757 pet transport bookings have been made, and the service on the 12306 ticketing platform has also been upgraded as follows:

1.The "宠" symbol is now displayed next to eligible trains on the ticketing page. After booking, passengers can see the "Pet Transport" option automatically.

2.By clicking on "Make a Reservation," passengers can choose the departure station, arrival station, and transport date, with real-time updates on available spots.

3.On the pet information entry page, users will fill in details about the pet owner, recipient, and the pet itself.

4.Once the order is submitted, the service will review the booking within 2 hours, and the result will be sent via SMS.

Building on the previous pilot program where passengers could travel with their pets in the same carriage, a new option for unaccompanied pet transport has now been introduced.

Currently, to arrange for pet transport separately, pet owners must book through the 95572 customer service hotline 2 to 5 days in advance. Only one pet can be transported per booking. Information about relevant stations can be found on the "High-speed Train Pet Transport" section of the 12306 app.

Pet Transport Has Dedicated "Passages" for Boarding and Disembarking

There are now 40 high-speed rail stations nationwide where pet transport services are available.

Mr. Niu, who was traveling with his dog, completed the pet transport procedure at Zhengzhou East Station's China Railway High-speed Operations Department. He had purchased tickets for both himself and his dog from Zhengzhou to Beijing through 12306 and arrived at the station early to handle the procedures.

Staff explained that pet owners must arrive 2 to 6 hours before departure on the day of travel to complete the transport procedure. They are required to present valid identification, as well as an up-to-date "Animal Quarantine Health Certificate."

After filling out the required forms, Mr. Niu placed his dog in a designated pet transport crate provided by the staff. This marked the beginning of their "same journey" together. About two and a half hours later, the train arrived at Beijing West Station. After the standard procedures of verifying pet information, checking pet status, and confirming identity, Mr. Niu was able to retrieve his dog from the transport crate. This marked the successful completion of the entire pet transport process, from online reservation to on-site delivery.
Source: OneTubeDaily