CCTV News (Reporter Wang Xiaoying) This may be one of the loneliest train stations in the country.
Since it was put into operation in December 2020, this railway station has never received any passengers except for the staff on duty. Passengers don’t even know there is such a train station when passing by. This is Hongde Station located in Huan County, Gansu Province.
As a crossing station of the Yinxi High-speed Railway, Hongde Station is not known because it does not handle passenger boarding and landing services, but such a station is indispensable in the operation of high-speed trains. As a lonely “station keeper”, just like this train station, Wang Xingcheng has been silently sticking to his post. “This station is quite special. Two people are on duty in rotation, and they stay for 7 days at a time.” Wang Xingcheng said.
Quiet during the day and lively at night
From the day it was built, Hongde Station in Dashanli has been lonely.
There is no waiting room, no ticket office, and no passengers here. As far as the eye can see, there are only mountains, farmland and trains whizzing by.
“It’s hard for me to notice when I’m on the high-speed rail, and it passes by in a flash, let alone a passenger.” Wang Xingcheng said.
A small two-story building where Wang Xingcheng and his partner Chen Jianjun take turns guarding here for work, meals, and sleep. Most of the time, they carry out emergency drills, check equipment, business study, eat and rest alone…
Although the place for passengers to board and drop off has been reserved, Hongde Station is still only a cross-travel station since it was put into operation. The so-called overtravel station does not handle passenger boarding and landing business, but mainly handles overtravel business of trains in the same direction and emergency response in emergency situations.
In June 2020, before the opening of the Yinxi High-speed Railway, Wang Xingcheng came to Hongde Station to be on duty. During the day, he accepts various dispatch orders and conducts emergency drills here. “The high-speed trains don’t stop, and most of the time I hear the trains roaring by.” Wang Xingcheng said.
It will be a little “livelier” at night. At night, starting from around 23:00, Hongde Station is ready to open the “skylight” operation: to use the time when the train is not running to repair the railway. At this time, construction workers from the power supply, electricity, engineering, and communication departments came to the driving room one after another, and Wang Xingcheng was busy applying for construction maintenance dispatch orders and construction registrations.
“I’m in charge of registration, checking, checking on the screen, etc., and I have to coordinate with the liaison officers of various departments for work arrangements.” Wang Xingcheng said that during the “Skylight” operation, there are multiple departments working at the same time, so no mistakes can be made, and it is necessary to confirm whether there is a track When the car is on the road, is there any other operating department in the place where the rail car passes? At this time, the Hongde Station has been transformed into a coordination center.
At night, more than 30 people often carry out construction and maintenance at the same time. Although the people are scattered all over the railway, Wang Xingcheng feels that the night is more “lively” than the day.
most afraid of snow
Wang Xingcheng’s position is called emergency duty of vehicle affairs. In the past two days, there has been snowfall in many places in Gansu. Wang Xingcheng said that he is most afraid of snow days. Whenever it snows, he not only has to complete the daily work on duty, but also pays attention to the snow and ice of the turnout at any time. Basically, he sleeps in his clothes every day.
Turnouts are one of the most critical links on railway tracks. “When it snows, it is very dangerous for the snow to fall on the turnouts without melting or even to freeze.” Wang Xingcheng said that now that the railway technology is advanced, snow melting devices are installed on the turnouts. Let the snow melt at any time by heating. But no matter how advanced the machine is, it is afraid of “failure”. Every time it snows, he keeps the broom and snow removal hook at hand, ready to use the most “primitive” method to clean the snow on the switch.
In rainy and snowy weather, after the railway department launched an emergency response, it was a big battle for Wang Xingcheng. “It is necessary for one person to deal with all emergencies, report them in time, and solve them in time. If you report a minute earlier, the result may be different.” .
From the moment he entered Hongde Station and changed shifts with his partner, he entered the working state, responsible for daily duty during the day, and busy coordinating the “skylight” operation at night. Wang Xingcheng said that his rest time is mainly in the morning, and he takes time to rest according to the train running time during the day. After a long time, he also practiced the skill of “sleep in seconds”, because this can ensure enough rest.
Watch alone, spend holidays alone, live alone
Wang Xingcheng calls himself an old railway man. He started working at the age of 22. He has worked in many places in the past 36 years. Only at Hongde Station, he is alone all the year round, on duty alone, celebrating festivals alone, and living alone…
In his memory, after becoming a railway man, he seldom spent the Spring Festival at home, and it was the same for the few years when he came to Hongde. Although in the eyes of outsiders, the work here is too lonely, but Wang Xingcheng is always optimistic about it.
Wang Xingcheng said that the biggest change after arriving in Hongde is that he learned how to cook. “In the past, there were cafeterias where I worked, and the surrounding area was also lively. Hongde Station is different. I have to rely on myself for three meals a day.” Now, he said with a smile that he is very good at making oil-splashed noodles and simmered noodles, and sometimes he makes dumplings and cooks a few stir-fries.
Wang Xingcheng opened up a vegetable garden in the open space near the station, planting peppers, tomatoes, green onions and spinach, etc. “The land was too barren, and the vegetables didn’t grow well at the beginning. Later, I spent some money to buy sheep manure to improve the soil.” Wang Xingcheng said, “This is also a harvest.”
Wang Xingcheng likes to play chess, but because he is the only one on duty, he plays chess on his mobile phone when he is free. In his opinion, it doesn’t matter whether the work is lonely or not. For a railway worker, it is enough to work hard at his post and ensure safe operation every day.