AFTER his proposal to call off the railway ticket price-hike during the Spring Festival season, Wang Xiang, a CPPCC member from East China's Jiangxi Province, has been closely followed by Chinese netizens, according to recent ratings published by sina.com.

Starting in 2002, the Railway Department has been raising prices by 15 per cent for hard seats and 20 per cent for others during the period of a week before the Spring Festival season to two weeks after the third day of the Lunar New Year.

"The original intention of the railway sector was to disperse passengers from transportation peaks, but the past three years?practice shows that the price hike hasn't restrained people from attending reunions during this most important festival,?he said.

Before advancing his proposal, Wang visited the railway station in his hometown on several occasions to listen to the opinions of passengers.

"Most railway passengers who were on the move during the Spring Festival season were university students and migrant workers, who were especially hard hit by the higher fares,?he said.

A survey conducted by Wang among migrant workers in the city of Jiujiang in Jiangxi who work in Shenzhen, found that the money spent on a round-trip ticket during the Spring Festival accounts for fully 20 per cent of their annual income.

A hearing was held in Beijing before the railway's first price-rise in 2002. "Although 51 per cent of those attending the hearing opposed the move, the price-hikestill took place, an action that was illegal according to China's Price Law,?Wang said.

Furthermore, the extra money people paid during the Spring Festival season failed to bring them better service when compared to other times, which was also "illegal, according to the Consumers?Protection Law.?

So far, no explanation has been received from the Railway Department. (Star News)