This Day, That Year: Sept 17

Editor's note: This year marks the 70th anniversary of the founding of New China.

In September 1987, 13 mobile train ticket offices were set up in Xi'an, Shaanxi province, as seen in this item from China Daily.

Although the national rail network has expanded rapidly in the past few decades, buying a train ticket for trips during peak travel seasons such as the National Day holiday and Spring Festival can still be daunting for many travelers.

National railway operator China State Railway Group which handles millions of passengers every year during the holidays, has launched more measures to crack down on ticket scalpers and make it easier for passengers to obtain seats.

A real-name system for buying train tickets has been adopted nationwide since 2012, and a new system allows passengers to book tickets through the internet or via the phone.

Users can buy the tickets at any ticket booth or train station.

According to official figures, more than 80 percent of its passengers booked their train tickets online for the Spring Festival travel rush early this year.

The 40-day travel rush, has seen over 400 million passenger trips by rail. Also known as chunyun, it often tests the limits of the country's transportation system.

Besides ticket booking, the railway authorities have also enhanced the comfort and convenience during passengers' trips.

In 2017, an on-demand food delivery service for high-speed trains was launched in major cities.

The pilot program's menu varies from station to station, with distinctive local features. In addition to traditional Chinese dishes, Western style fast-food, including KFC, is available on most trains.

Passengers are asked to order on China State Railway Group's ticket-booking website or via its app two hours before the train is scheduled to arrive at the selected station.