Automate 12306 Train Ticket Booking with Python and Splinter

Want to grab a train ticket from 12306 automatically? This guide shows how to use Python 2.7 with the Splinter library to script the login, search, and booking process.

Tools needed:

12306 account credentials

Python 2.7

Chrome browser and chromedriver

The script from https://github.com/ppy2790/tickets

Splinter is an open‑source web‑application testing tool that drives a real browser, allowing you to automate interactions with the site.

How it works

The script opens the relevant 12306 URLs, locates the form controls for login, search and ticket confirmation, and fills them automatically. The most difficult part is extracting the hidden “start station” value from cookies.

Query URL: https://kyfw.12306.cn/otn/leftTicket/init

Login URL: https://kyfw.12306.cn/otn/login/init

My 12306 URL: https://kyfw.12306.cn/otn/index/initMy12306

Confirm URL: https://kyfw.12306.cn/otn/confirmPassenger/initDc

The script reads the cookie to obtain the start‑station code, stores common city codes in a dictionary, and then performs the ticket search.

Running the script performs all steps automatically; you only need to solve the 12306 captcha manually and confirm payment after a ticket is found.

Images illustrate the UI, control names, cookie values, and the successful booking screen.