Ministry in court over dining car seat rail ticket
By Zhang Xuanchen |
May 21, 2011, Saturday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
A PASSENGER is taking the Ministry of Railways to court next week, claiming it ignored his complaints about being allocated a cold, uncomfortable dining car seat, even though he had a second-class ticket.
Yang Jinzhu, a 41-year-old businessman, paid 301 yuan (US$44.26) for a seat on a train from Beijing to Wuxi City in Jiangsu Province on October 10, last year.
However, he had to spend nearly nine hours on a cold, narrow seat, jammed against a dining table, reported Modern Express yesterday.
"I had a sleepless night on that train," Yang said.
Yang said travelers in the dining car thought the situation "incredible" and requested a refund at the railway station. But they were told ticket sales were under the charge of the Ministry of Railways.
According to the law, the train operator can sell tickets for seats in dining cars once normal first and second-class seat tickets are sold. The ticket bought by Yang didn't carry any information suggesting the seat's position.
On November 5 last year, Yang wrote to the ministry demanding to know whether the act of selling dining car seat tickets is legal.
After receiving no response after 15 days, Yang filed a lawsuit.
He then received responses from Shanghai railway officials saying the ministry had made no rules about the sale of dining car seat tickets.
In April, the ministry told Yang dining car tickets were sold by railway transportation companies, not the ministry.
Unsatisfied with this, Yang said he would seek an answer in court. The case will be heard next Wednesday.
Yang Jinzhu, a 41-year-old businessman, paid 301 yuan (US$44.26) for a seat on a train from Beijing to Wuxi City in Jiangsu Province on October 10, last year.
However, he had to spend nearly nine hours on a cold, narrow seat, jammed against a dining table, reported Modern Express yesterday.
"I had a sleepless night on that train," Yang said.
Yang said travelers in the dining car thought the situation "incredible" and requested a refund at the railway station. But they were told ticket sales were under the charge of the Ministry of Railways.
According to the law, the train operator can sell tickets for seats in dining cars once normal first and second-class seat tickets are sold. The ticket bought by Yang didn't carry any information suggesting the seat's position.
On November 5 last year, Yang wrote to the ministry demanding to know whether the act of selling dining car seat tickets is legal.
After receiving no response after 15 days, Yang filed a lawsuit.
He then received responses from Shanghai railway officials saying the ministry had made no rules about the sale of dining car seat tickets.
In April, the ministry told Yang dining car tickets were sold by railway transportation companies, not the ministry.
Unsatisfied with this, Yang said he would seek an answer in court. The case will be heard next Wednesday.
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