(Yicai Global) Jan. 29 -- Chinese government agencies project almost 3 billion residents will make travel plans this Chinese New Year, but expect rail tickets to be more readily available with the country's revamped rail capacity, even if they are more expensive.

It will still be tough to buy tickets during the holiday period, which runs from Feb. 15 to Feb. 21 this year, online news outlet PEDaily reported. It cost as much as CNY50 (USD7.9) extra to get a rail ticket last year, and such services this year could cost as much CNY100, depending on the journey distance.

E-commerce giant JD.Com Inc., travel titan Ctrip.Com International Ltd. and group buying platform Meituan are among platforms looking to help travelers snap up tickets. By selling travel tickets, they can boost traffic to their sites and apps to help promote other services.

China's internet behemoths began noticing the niche for 'ticket grabbing,' which has long been a legal gray area, in 2013. Qihoo 360, an internet browser run by online security firm Qihoo 360 Technology Co., had a sharp increase in market share last month after offering rail tickets for the Chinese New Year period. Its usage was up to 22.9 percent on Dec. 21, the highest among domestic browsers in recent years.

Competitors, including browsers developed by Baidu Inc., Sogou Inc. and Alibaba-backed UCWeb Inc., have since rolled out their own ticket-selling services.

As well as websites accessible through computers and smartphones, PEDaily found more than 30 applications to buy tickets, developed by Ctrip, Meituan, NetEase Inc. and Qunar Cayman Islands Ltd. Most of their apps offer value-added insurance services and charge additional fees of up to CNY100. They also direct users to their other business units for bus tickets, ride hailing, and reservation booking for hotels and restaurants.