Starting today, passengers on three railway lines in the Yangtze River Delta region can board trains by simply scanning a QR code, China Railway Shanghai Group announced yesterday.

QR codes exempting passengers from obtaining physical tickets will be trialed on the Shanghai-Nanjing, Nanjing-Anqing and Nanjing-Qidong railways, covering 14 cities in the region in total.

The codes can be obtained by registration on the mobile app 12306, the official railway online ticket-booking platform.

Invoices can be printed at ticket vending machines at railway stations within 31 days of rides, it said.

The codes require real-name registration and can only be used by the registered person, the group added.

Expats can also use the code, but the registration page is in Chinese.