A railway service statement published on November 13 said an internal disciplinary inquiry found that a conductor on Train 7266 issued tickets showing a lower fare than nine passengers had paid. The inquiry said the passengers were charged the correct fare, but classified the conductor’s conduct as using ticketing for personal gain.
Train 7266 runs from Huaihua to Lixian North. According to the statement, it has eight hard-seat carriages with a stated capacity of 557 and stops at 36 locations. Passengers can buy tickets through the 12306 platform or ticket windows for travel from seven passenger-service stations. At the other 29 stops, passengers may board first and buy tickets on the train to accommodate travel in mountainous areas.
On November 9, the train carried 428 passengers: 249 had bought tickets before boarding at passenger-service stations, while 179 boarded at other stops and bought tickets aboard. The statement put the total value of those 179 onboard tickets at 818 yuan.
After the train left Dalongcun at 8:12 a.m., conductor Peng issued tickets to nine passengers in carriage 4 for travel to Jishou. The statement said Peng collected the correct fare of 7 yuan per person but issued tickets showing a 4-yuan fare from Zhoujiazhai to Jishou. Passengers questioned the discrepancy at the time. Train chief Jia came to the carriage, apologized and instructed Peng to issue replacement tickets showing the correct Dalongcun–Jishou journey and 7-yuan fare.
Peng received a serious demerit and a three-month suspension from duty. Jia, who was found to have management responsibility, received a warning and a one-month suspension. The statement said other managers also faced disciplinary warnings or financial penalties. It said the service would strengthen staff oversight and require video recording throughout onboard ticket issuance.
