Slow train, the secret to growers' success

Ma Yongzhi, who is also the head of the village, said about 30 to 40 tons of apples are transported by rail every day.

Train staff help farmers sell their apples.

Train conductor Xiang Xiaobo registers information about apple sellers and buyers during harvest seasons and helps them exchange information to close a deal.

Last year, he helped farmers match up with 10 clients and sell over 200 tons of apples.

Train staff also promote apples in broadcasts to passengers, so farmers can sell some on the train, and the local railway department has added a cargo car at the end of the train where apples can be stored.

One of the stops the train makes is in the industrial city of Liupanshui in Guizhou, where a small apple market has sprung up thanks to the train service. At the market near Liupanshui Railway Station, some 20 stalls operated by farmers from Zhaotong allow them to sell apples to city residents. During harvest season, the number of stalls can swell to more than 50.

Although China's high-speed railway network now stretches for 38,000 km, making it the longest in the world, railway authorities continue to run regular speed train services to benefit residents such as the apple farmers of Zhaotong.

Wang Jin in Guiyang contributed to this story.