As the Spring Festival winds down, rain and snow are disrupting travel for millions of Chinese people.

Due to inclement weather, the operators of China's rail system have slowed speeds on their high-speed trains for safety's sake. This action has sparked a debate within the public over whether the operators should compensate passengers for their longer travel time.

As China's rail operators have explained, high-speed trains the world over typically put a damper on their speed during bouts of bad weather. Of course, it's also standard in many countries - such as Germany, Spain and Japan - to compensate passengers for the inconvenience of delays. As of yet though, operators in China have offered no such remuneration.

Passengers usually book high-speed train tickets to accomplish their journey faster. Once the speed incentive is removed, why should a traveler pay extra for a longer trip?

When it comes to customer service, China's railway operators are still well behind the rest of the world.

Based on a report in the Legal Evening News.

Legal Evening News