Fujian to pilot 'Expresspay Card' on high speed railways
Fujian province plans to pilot the "China Railway Banking Expresspay" on its 60 CRH trains during the Spring Festival travel peak in 2016.
Passengers will be able to simply swipe their "China Railway and Banking Expresspay" cards at turnstiles to board trains traveling between Fuzhou-Xiamen, Longyan-Xiamen and Hefei-Fuzhou, without buying tickets in advance.
The trains will reserve some seats for the card holders. The ticket fare will be deducted directly from the card balance. Passengers can apply for the card at railway stations in Fuzhou. Each card costs 30 yuan ($4.55) plus a necessary first-time charge of at least 300 yuan.
The "China Railway Banking Expresspay" card, issued by the China Railway Corporation and the Bank of China, is expected to enable passengers to board high speed trains more conveniently. The card contains each holder's personal information such as their name and ID number.
Why Xiamen
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Xiamen is one of the most economically competitive cities in China and was one of the first Special Economic Zones on the Chinese mainland. As a vice-provincial city independently listed on the State development plan, it has provincial-level authority in economic administration and local legislative power. In 2010, the Xiamen SEZ was expanded to cover the entire municipality. Today, Xiamen is a modern and international port city.