Smoking on high-speed trains to be fined

People smoking on high-speed trains will be fined heavily once new Regulations on Railway Safety Management issued by the central government come into force on Jan 1.

The regulations ban people from smoking anywhere on high-speed trains and from smoking in smoke-free areas on other trains. Violators will be fined up to 2,000 yuan ($330).

High-speed trains, which reach speeds of 200 kilometers per hour and higher, are equipped with smoke detectors and smoking anywhere onboard will trigger an alarm, slowing or even stopping the train.

A number of incidents have been reported where high-speed trains have stopped on railway lines because passengers were smoking.