Starting Monday, passengers could simply swipe their phones to board the intercity high-speed railway connecting the provincial capital of Guangzhou with the nearby city of Shenzhen.

Huang Xiaozhong, deputy chief of Guangzhou East Railway Station, said passengers can register to pay for travel via Alipay, the payment platform of internet giant Alibaba, and are issued QR codes valid for three hours.

"The QR payment only takes a few minutes, compared with 20 to 30 minutes for passengers to purchase, pick up tickets and enter the station in the traditional way," said Wang Lihui, who is in charge of the station's ticket sales office.

Wang said the new payment method reduces crowding in front of ticket booths.