GUANGZHOU Railway Group has announced plans for enterprises to purchase round-trip train tickets for their workers about eight weeks ahead of Chinese Lunar New Year.

From Thursday, enterprises in Shenzhen can book seats for trains departing Shenzhen Railway Station and Shenzhen West Railway Station during the pre-festival period from Jan. 30 to Feb. 12 and post-festival return tickets from Feb. 17-26 from 15 stations in Hunan, Hubei and Jiangxi.

The enterprises must have at least 200 employees certified by labor authorities and book at least 100 tickets at a time, or at least 20 tickets for the same train on the same day, the Guangzhou Railway Group said Sunday. Inquiries can be made by calling 8233-5623. The railway group will set up counters at eight railway stations - including Shenzhen and Guangzhou - for group bookings.

Employers are required to produce a range of documents, including written applications, business licenses and certificates from the labor authority.

The railway authority will review the qualifications of enterprises and distribute tickets from Jan. 26 to 28. For details, companies can log onto the railway group's official Web site www.eticket.gzrail.com.cn

The railway group opened a hotline (020) 6132-3039 for complaints about companies speculating by booking group tickets for migrant workers with the aim of reselling them.