"Program membership is not open to the public yet, and the passengers may get the credits only by taking the questionnaire," a customer service representative of the website told China Daily on Friday.
According to a membership guide that is not yet public, members are divided into four tiers based on the mileage they travel by trains, which provide them with benefits at different levels, the Beijing News reported.
The guide says 100 yuan of the ticket price could be converted to 300, 500, 600 or 800 points, depending on the membership tier. The credit will be prorated if passengers buy train tickets with discounts, the report said.
For a normal member, one would have to take the Beijing-Shanghai high-speed train 34 times to get a free ride, which charges 555 yuan for a second-class seat.
Although the ministry hasn't given details of the plan yet, the membership program has triggered heated debate on the Internet.
In a survey conducted on Sina Weibo, a popular Twitter-like service in China, nearly 300 polled netizens supported the move because they believe it will benefit customers.
"Finally, train passengers can earn miles too," said a Sina Weibo user with the name SHMILY1314."Each year I spend 5,000 to 6,000 yuan on train tickets, and it would help frequent passengers like me to save money."
However, more than 3,000 people voted that they don't care about the membership program as it cannot ensure customers get train tickets at all times, even if one is a program member.
"The ministry should first concentrate on solving the problem of making ticket purchases more easy, as it is almost a struggle to get tickets sometimes," said another user with the name ST-saltwater.
The Beijing News reported that members are not able to redeem train tickets on international train routes or certain popular routes. Meanwhile, students, soldiers and other kind of customers who buy tickets with discounts cannot earn credits.
Zhao Jian, a professor at Beijing Jiaotong University, said that the new move will benefit frequent train travelers, and also help China's high-speed railways compete for customers.
"It will help increase the number of passengers on high-speed railways, as it could earn more credits than taking normal trains which are low in price."
