Passes will save money on Beijing-Tianjin rail route

Passengers using commuter passes get aboard a train bound for Tianjin at Beijing South Railway Station on Sunday. [Photo by Wang Zhuangfei / China Daily]

A commuter pass for the Beijing-Tianjin intercity railway that gives a discount of up to 15 percent went on sale on Monday as part of government efforts to promote the integration of Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei province.

Last year, 646,000 passengers traveled back and forth between Beijing and Tianjin at least twice a month. The pass is expected to benefit more than 200,000 people.

The pass will save passengers the trouble of buying tickets, and the discount is expected to attract more people to commute between the two cities, Sun Wenkui, vice-mayor of Tianjin, said on Saturday.

Currently, 184 trains arrive and depart from both Beijing and Tianjin every day, carrying more than 80,000 passengers.

Calling the launch of the pass a move to promote the integration of Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei, Sun said the Tianjin government will "make a greater step forward" to promote the integration of the three areas' transportation systems through further cooperation with China Railway Corp, the national network operator.

There are two kinds of train passes: a gold one for first-class seats and a silver one for second-class seats. A first class seat for a single journey between Beijing and Tianjin costs 65.5 yuan ($10), while the price for second class is 54.5 yuan.

Passengers can get a 5 percent discount if they pay for 20 single journeys up front. The discount will increase to 15 percent for gold pass holders who pay for 90 journeys and for silver pass holders who pay for 100 journeys, the Tianjin government said.