Rail workers get on the right track

On the first day of chunyun, the 40-day Spring Festival travel period, the Karamay-Tacheng railway in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region carried 913 passengers from Tacheng prefecture to Urumqi, the regional capital.

On Jan 10, the train set out from Tacheng Railway Station at 10 am, carrying the passengers through the "devil-wind zone"－an area battered by strong winds, snowstorms and other extreme weather for more than 180 days a year－and arrived at Urumqi at about 7 pm.

The line, which began operating on May 30 and is 271 kilometers in length, provides all of Xinjiang's prefectural capitals with access to rail services.

To ensure smooth operations during the line's first chunyun, staff members at Tacheng began preparations two months in advance, according to Zhang Heng, the station's director.

"We surveyed schools and enterprises to estimate the passenger volume during chunyun," Zhang said. Based on that research, the team decided that the regular number of trains would be able to meet demand.

Three trains that make round trips on the line can carry 1,800 passengers a day, while the station team predicted that an average 750 passenger trips per day would be made during the Spring Festival travel period.

Snowdrifts can make traveling extremely difficult, so clearing the snow on the railroad was a major task for Zhang and his team.

"It's far from enough to just clear one direction for normal operations. We are expected to clear away all the snow on the tracks, platforms and in the station area to provide more convenient services during Spring Festival," Zhang said.

Seven stewards and nine people to conduct security checks were assigned for each trip, inspecting equipment and clearing snow. In addition, about 27 volunteers at the station helped travelers to buy tickets and assisted the passengers, including disabled people and mothers with babies.

"We stored instant noodles, bread and sausages to deal with emergencies caused by extreme weather. If a train stopped for more than four hours due to strong winds, we discussed the passengers' needs with staff members and alerted nearby hospitals and fire stations to be on standby," Zhang said.

The line may be new, but the rolling stock is old, and people traveling through the devil-wind zone have to endure the freezing air and drifting snow blowing into the compartments.

The battle against the snow and wind was the greatest challenge during chunyun for Yang Fan, a conductor on the line.

"The seals on our trains are not good enough to completely stop the snow entering the cars, so the stewards have to plug the gaps in windows and doors with cloth. They pour hot water into the toilet every half-hour to melt the frozen pipes," Yang said.

The advent of the line has seen a reduction in the number of road accidents and traffic jams caused by extreme weather, compared with Spring Festival last year.

"Before, people injured in car accidents had to wait on the highway until the winds fell and the road reopened," Zhang said.

Yang and Zhang spent Spring Festival Eve working as usual. Being separated from their families during the holiday is a normal occurrence for them, as the 40-day travel rush is always the busiest time of year for members of the railway staff.