A video showing two foreign passengers smoking at the doorway of a high-speed train drew online criticism, according to a November 12, 2026 report by The Paper.

The report said a China News Service journalist called the 12306 rail customer service center as a passenger to ask about the rules. A representative said smoking is not categorically banned on high-speed rail station platforms. Smoking inside a carriage, however, could lead to restrictions on future travel or other penalties if it affects the train’s normal operation.

Asked specifically about a passenger standing in a carriage doorway with their head outside while smoking, the representative did not say whether that conduct violated a rule. The representative said staff would intervene if they saw it and would increase patrols when trains stop. Penalties could follow if the conduct affected normal train operations.

China’s Railway Safety Management Regulations prohibit smoking on high-speed trainsets and in designated no-smoking areas of other trains. The customer service response did not establish whether the conduct shown in the video fell within that prohibition.

Source: m.thepaper.cn (originally published 2026-11-12 12:52 UTC+8)