Illustrations: Peter C. Espina

To make travel easier during this year's chunyun (Spring Festival rush), the Ministry of Railways reformed the ticket system by introducing realname registration and online and telephone ordering. This was also meant to cut out ticket scalpers. Without a ticket and an identification card, one cannot board. However, it in fact provides another platform for scalpers. According to the Xinhua News Agency, scalpers and staff members at the Hangzhou South Railway Station are in cahoots. As long as the passenger pays about 200 yuan ($31.70) to scalpers, they will take him into the station and ticket collectors will not check tickets and ID cards. Then the staff members and scalpers divide up the spoils. In the past, scalpers could help buy you tickets. Now they can even help you board a train without a ticket. Where has the ticketing system gone wrong?