Behind the controversy that the cost of taking a snowboard on the high-speed rail doubles
From the end of October to the beginning of November, the major ski resorts in Chongli opened one after another, announcing the full opening of the 2020 snow season.
However, just as the snow season of the new year that many snow lovers are looking forward to finally arrives, a news that passengers on the Beijing-Zhangjiakou High-speed Railway banned passengers from carrying over-standard snowboards, and that over-standard snowboards must be shipped via express, exploded in the snow circle. The pot.
On November 11th, the well-known ski blogger Billy White posted a tweet on his Weibo and WeChat public account at the same time-"This Winter Olympics ski train, but I can't hold your skis."
The article pointed out that starting from November 17th, the Beijing-Zhangjiakou High-speed Railway will prohibit passengers from carrying ski equipment with a sum of length, width and height greater than 130 cm. Over-spec ski equipment can only be used for express delivery.
The price of express is roughly equivalent to a one-way ticket for a second-class seat between Beijing and Chongli. This means that the cost of a high-speed rail round trip between Beijing and Chongli will double for snow friends with ski equipment.
As soon as this news came out, it immediately sparked onlookers and controversy in the snow circle.
Snow friends have left messages under Billy White’s article. Most people are opposed to the Beijing-Zhangjiakou high-speed rail policy that requires passengers to check over-spec ski equipment, but there are also many netizens who believe that the Beijing-Zhangzhou high-speed rail requires over-spec ski equipment. The approach complies with the relevant regulations of railway transportation, there is nothing to question.
Two days after Billy Bai’s post, on November 13, China Railway Beijing Bureau Group Co., Ltd. provided the media with news information on “Beijing-Zhangjiakou High-speed Rail Launches New Ski Equipment Express Service”, explaining that the Beijing-Zhangjiakou High-speed Railway prohibits passengers from carrying over-standard ski equipment. Reasons for the express transportation of ski equipment for rides and over-standard skis: After the opening of the Beijing-Zhangjiakou high-speed rail on December 30, 2019, the majority of ski enthusiasts have increasingly traveled by cars. At most, passengers carry more than 100 skis on a train. The ski cabinets installed in the upper 1, 4, and 8 carriages can only store a total of 5 sets, causing a large amount of ski equipment to be stacked in the front and rear of the passenger seats at both ends of the carriage and in the aisle, blocking the aisle, squeezing the passenger space, and luggage The rack is not suitable for placing large-volume ski equipment, it is easy to fall and hurt passengers, which will affect the safety of passengers and trains.
However, the statement that the railway department banned passengers from carrying extra-standard snowboards for safety reasons is hardly recognized by snow friends.
Safety issues are certainly the primary concern of various transportation companies around the world, but it is also an international practice to provide transportation convenience for over-spec sports equipment.
Billy Bai told China Youth Daily and China Youth Daily that ski enthusiasts are one of the main service groups of the Beijing-Zhangjiakou High-speed Railway. The Beijing-Zhangjiakou High-speed Railway is also known for its special ski trains. There are more and more enthusiasts, and the railway department can better serve the skiers by increasing the installation of snowboards in the train and free consignment.
In fact, ski trains such as the Beijing-Zhangjiakou High-speed Railway are not uncommon abroad. These countries have very mature practices and experiences in better serving skiers, which can be used for reference.
For the Beijing-Zhangjiakou High-speed Railway, the provisions in the "Railway Passenger Transport Regulations" that "the sum of length, width and height of goods carried by high-speed rail EMU trains shall not exceed 130 cm and the weight shall not exceed 20 kg, shall be subject to railway consignment" to prohibit passengers Billy White also found it inappropriate to carry an extra-standard snowboard with him.
He said that as long as anyone who has skied through the snow knows that the sum of the length, width and height of the snowboard cannot be less than 130 cm (unless it is a children's snowboard).
Most sports equipment are of special specifications, which is why global transportation companies do not measure sports equipment by the size of conventional luggage. Then, how can the Beijing-Zhangjiakou high-speed rail, which is known for its ski trains, prohibit the requirements for conventional luggage? What is the basis for snowboarding?
Billy Bai believes that one of the main reasons for the controversial Snowboard Express New Deal on the Beijing-Zhangjiakou High-speed Railway is because the sports culture, including skiing, is still very weak in China.
Some practices of better serving the sports crowd have long been commonplace in developed sports countries, and it often takes a longer and more tortuous process in China to achieve it.
China’s triathlon first man, Dang Qi, reluctantly told the China Youth Daily and China Youth Daily reporter that when he carried a bicycle in developed sports countries, he could take all public transportation smoothly, he still faced great obstacles in China. .
He said that in domestic public transportation, except airplanes, passengers are either not allowed to carry bicycles at all, or they are completely incapable of placing and checking bicycles.
For many years, when Dang Qi participated in triathlon competitions in China, he could only take a plane or drive by himself because of carrying a bicycle.
Lai Gang, the founder of the famous domestic ski media "GOSKI", has traveled to world-renowned ski resorts and found that in the countries he has visited, every aspect of social life reflects the care for the sports crowd.
Public transportation basically takes into account how to provide convenience for people carrying sports equipment such as snowboards and bicycles. Lai Gang believes that "this reflects a society's advocacy and encouragement of sports."
Of course, most developed countries in sports are economically developed countries, and they have enough social resources to create conditions for the development of sports, Lai Gang said, so it depends on how much a country has to undertake sports. For example, during the Spring Festival in China, It is difficult to ensure that everyone can buy a ticket, and it is indeed unrealistic for us to ask for others.
However, with the development of China's economy and society, some departments and enterprises, when the basic conditions are already in place, are largely due to their ignorance of sports and have introduced policies that have triggered controversy in the sports circle.
This is not the first time Billy White has "struggled" against this phenomenon.
In March 2019, Billy White posted a story about his experience on an international flight of Air China on We-Media, because the sum of the length, width and height of the skis he carried exceeded Air China’s standard luggage size (158 cm). He was charged an excess baggage fee of 4,100 yen (36 U.S. dollars).
Afterwards, Billy White discovered that according to the new 20190101 version of the baggage regulations issued by Air China at that time, sports equipment that exceeds the size (the sum of length, width and height is greater than 158 cm) will be charged.
Since the sum of the length, width and height of skis cannot be less than 158 cm, this new Air China rule means that snowboarders will no longer enjoy free baggage treatment when they take Air China flights in the future.
Billy White immediately called Air China to express his incomprehension and protest against the new regulations of Air China.
Billy White said that Air China's policy of being extremely unfriendly to the sports crowd was very rare for an international mainstream airline.
At that time, not only Billy White, but also many sports people affected by Air China's new baggage policy, including ice hockey, golf and other sports, called Air China.
In June 2019, as Air China began to implement the 20190601 version of the baggage standard, a variety of sports equipment including ski equipment, ice hockey equipment, golf bags, etc. will no longer be levied on oversized baggage fees.
Billy Bai affirmed Air China's move, and because of Air China's "knowledge of mistakes", Billy Bai believed that although China's sports culture is relatively weak, it is still developing for the better.
The Beijing-Zhangjiakou high-speed rail levy of snowboard express freight has been in the Beijing snow circle for several days.
Li Xiaoming, chairman of the Beijing Ski Association, hopes that the railway sector can see the voice of the skiing crowd, "The Beijing-Zhangjiakou High-speed Railway is of great significance to promoting the development of Chongli and driving the development of skiing in Beijing and Hebei. We should stand more The angle of snow friends lowers the threshold for snow friends, so that the Winter Olympic train can be more effective."
Chongli, whose goal is to build a ski town, has a huge dependence on Beijing, the country's largest settlement of skiers.
The famous sports scholar Yi Jiandong once saw such a scene in Switzerland, where skiing is developed. In order to facilitate skiers to participate in skiing, the local public transport lines for skiers to use free of charge have been introduced. This is the tourism department, public service department, A stable, mutual assistance and shared service system platform established between ski resorts and enterprises.
Yi Jiandong believes that for China, the development of sports requires the establishment of a complete, shared, mutually beneficial and mutually beneficial sports industry system and mechanism that involves the participation of the whole society. If the sports industry is not supported by an external system, it is very difficult to obtain Developmental.
This time the Beijing-Zhangjiakou high-speed rail levy of snowboard express freight has caused a lot of controversy. It is an opportunity for some of our departments to reflect on-to avoid fragmented and separate mechanisms.
Our newspaper, Beijing, November 16th
China Youth Daily and China Youth Daily reporter Ci Xin Source: China Youth Daily