Standing room only as travel rush bites

A passenger takes a nap while standing on K68 train heading for Qingdao city of East China's Shandong province on Jan 19, 2013. As the Spring Festival travel rush approaches, China's railway saw a surge in the number of homebound passengers, leaving more travelers unable to buy seats or sleeper tickets with standing room only. The price of a standing ticket is at the bottom of the railway's ticket pricing structure, but costs the same as a hard-seat ticket. People online called for the price of standing train tickets to be reduced, but railway authorities say the price is already at the lowest price. [Photo/Xinhua]

Sui Bin (2nd left), a college student, stands on the train heading to Qingdao city of East China's Shandong province on Jan 19, 2013. Considering the price, Sui chose standing ticket instead of a much more expensive soft-sleeper. "I have never enjoyed a train berth before as it is too far from affordable for me," said Sui who has experienced many standing trips before. [Photo/Xinhua]