People line up through a specially designed device at a ticket window at Beijing West Railway Station, Dec 16, 2011. [Photo/Legal Evening News]

A total of 125 automatic line-up devices have been put into use at Beijing West Railway Station to prevent people from cutting in line and protect passengers’ privacy, Legal Evening News reported on Friday.

The creative device works through a wheel with two gaps only wide enough for one person, which can only be rotated counterclockwise. The device automatically separates the passengers and leaves a distance of one meter between the front of the line and the rest of the queue.

Passenger can only approach the ticket office from the right side and leave from the left, effectively preventing others from cutting into the line and gathering in front of the ticket window.

With the Spring Festival approaching, Beijing West Railway Station, which is the busiest in the city, will receive more passengers. The ticket lobby will get quite crowded, causing many passengers to try to jump the line.