A "slow train" traveling through the Taihang Mountains. Photo by Zhang Qiang
Chinanews.com, Zhengzhou, December 19th, title: Visiting the "slow train" in the depths of Taihang Mountains: the car to get rich in the eyes of villagers
Author: Zhao Hui, Zhang Qiang, Lu Qunfu
between Xinxiang City, Henan Province and Changzhi City, Shanxi Province In the Taihang Mountains , there is a little-known "slow train" running. From 1959 to 2017, for 58 years, this "slow train" with a speed of less than 45 kilometers per hour has become an inseparable means of transportation for the people along the line.
In the pursuit of high-speed, high-efficiency "high-speed rail era", "slow train" seems to be a distant past. However, the reporter and his party recently traveled along the Xinxiang to Changzhi section to experience the "slow train" and personally felt the new functions of the "slow train" in the new era: it is a convenient vehicle for the people along the line to travel, and it is a company that facilitates employees to commute. The heart car is a sightseeing car that catalyzes the tourism boom, or a rich car that boosts economic development.
The "iron bus" traveling deep in the mountains
departs from the starting station Xinxiang Station , and goes westward along Changzhi, Shanxi as the "slow train" keeps going uphill, downhill, drilling tunnels, and crossing bridges .
The country station welcomes tourists on vacation. Photo by Zhang Qiang
"Kang Dang, Bang Dang, Woo..." Passenger train No. 6905/6906 stopped at Dongpo Station, a fourth-class small station in the hinterland of Taihang Mountains under the jurisdiction of Zhengzhou Railway Bureau. On the slightly narrow platform, many villagers had been waiting for a long time. They carried baskets on their backs and poked their heads up to wait for the only "iron bus" that communicated with the outside world.
This train departs from Xinxiang Station in Henan Province and ends at Changzhi North Station in Shanxi Province. It is only 232 kilometers long, but it has to stop at 22 stations. The whole journey takes 5 hours and 41 minutes. Since most of the stations along the train are various villages in the Taihang Mountains, each station adopts the method of getting on the train before printing tickets, and the villagers affectionately call it "iron bus".
In the era of high-speed rail "overlord", this kind of "slow train" with a speed of less than 45 kilometers per hour and an average stop of about 10 minutes every 10 kilometers seems to be out of step with the times, but in remote areas with high mountains and dangerous roads and inconvenient transportation In the Taihang Mountains, it is an indispensable traffic line for the local area, and even the only means of transportation for villagers along the way.
Old man Li Fusheng, who lives near Dongpo Station, is a frequent passenger on this bus. He told the reporter that he takes the bus to Changzhi every week to see his grandson. The fare for the 107-kilometer journey is only 9.5 yuan. If you take a car during this distance, not to mention frequent reversing, the cost will be several times higher.
It is understood that the minimum fare of the 6905/6906 passenger train is only 3 yuan, which is a must-choice means of transportation for mountain people with low income like Uncle Li.
"This train is the main bridge for the villagers to communicate with the outside world. The villagers can transport the vegetables, wild fruits and poultry from the mountains to the outside of the mountain at a small cost, in exchange for necessary living materials, and at the same time broaden their horizons and Knowledge has laid the foundation for further poverty alleviation and prosperity.” Liu Wenhui, the first secretary in Dongpo Village, told reporters, “The villagers all hope that the railway department will not stop the ‘slow train’.”
Among the 22 stations, Kong Zhuang is the most special station. It is located at the junction of Henan and Shanxi. It is the first station for the train to enter Shanxi. It is also the only station area under the jurisdiction of Zhengzhou Railway Bureau without road access.
46-year-old Li Jinjun is an ordinary electrician in the power supply section of Xinxiang. He has worked at Kongzhuang Station for 10 years. Li Lianjun's home is in Jincheng. Jincheng has a high terrain and Henan has a low terrain. Since the only way to get to Kongzhuang from his home is by train, he commonly refers to going to and from work as "going up and down the mountain", and he only goes home once a week.
The simple platform along the "slow train". Photo by Zhang Qiang
"Fortunately, you can 'go up and down the mountain' by train, otherwise commuting will be a big trouble." Because there is no market in the village, it is inconvenient to buy vegetables and cook. Every time he "goes up the mountain", Li Lianjun will prepare a week's worth of food and vegetables. Although life is hard, Li Jinjun still enjoys it. "It used to be that there were no entertainment facilities in the station. When I was depressed, I could only yell at the mountains. Now the construction of the 'Third Line' railway is getting better and better, and the conditions in the station area are very good." It is interesting to be able to accompany the green mountains and green waters after work.”
“Slow train” is the vehicle to get rich in the eyes of the villagers
“The high-speed rail brings passengers a ‘flick of a finger’The pleasure of “swinging in the air”, while the slow train brings the comfort of “seeing Nanshan leisurely”. "On the "slow train", I ran into Min Jingya, a literary girl. She said that she saw the "slow train" passing through the Taihang Mountains from the Internet, so she bought a ticket to experience the quiet life under the slow pace. Her destination is Visiting Kongzhuang.
Kongzhuang was originally an inconspicuous small village at the junction of Henan and Shanxi, but the number of tourists here has increased over the years. Most of them come by "slow train".
59-year-old Kong Er Xi is a villager in Kongzhuang. Considering that there have been more and more tourists in Kongzhuang in recent years, and their children are migrant workers who do not often go home, Lao Kong and his wife transformed the idle house into a farmhouse, providing catering and accommodation services. Thinking of bringing in an income of 40,000 to 50,000 yuan a year.
“In the 1970s, the lowest price of this train was 20 cents, and then the price was increased to 1 yuan. Now the green leather car is replaced by an air-conditioned car. The price has also risen to 3 yuan. "Kong Erxi said that when the railway was not in operation, villagers wanted to go out, so they had to drive donkeys across the Baishui River in the village and walk to the nearest town for a day. For "donkey friends", it is too cheap.
Every weekend, there is an endless stream of tourists taking the "slow train" to Kongzhuang for vacation. The growing tourism boom also attracts young people who go out to work in Kongzhuang The middle-aged "go back to the nest". They increase their income and get rid of poverty by promoting farmhouses and agricultural products.
Kong Xinjun, Party Secretary of Kongzhuang Village, has a special liking for the "slow train": "Transformation from low-value-added agriculture and animal husbandry to medium-to-high value-added services The dilapidated mountain villages in the past are turning into beautiful villages, and the green water and green mountains in poverty-stricken areas have become golden mountains and silver mountains. The railway has contributed a lot. "
The changes in Kongzhuang are just a microcosm. The rural stations along the way, such as Shangdang , Houzhai, Dongpo, etc., are also undergoing earth-shaking changes. Traveling and resting stops.
The footsteps of running to a well-off society are non-stop, and the "slow train" should not stop. It gives urban people a space to return to nature and release stress. A "slow train" that seems to be left behind by the times has helped some people retain a peaceful way of life, or a simple feeling that melts away.
It is understood that the 6905/6906 passenger train is the last cross-provincial "slow train" in Henan Province. However, this "slow train" is a "sports car", running a slow train from Xinxiang to Changzhi, and an express train from Changzhi to Beijing.
" This trip 'slow train' can also be regarded as the train to Beijing. "According to Zhao Yiqiang, the captain of the Beijing No. 3 Team of the Zhengzhou Passenger Transport Section, who added the ride on the spot, the so-called "sports car" means that the train does not only run on one route, but often uses the gap between departures to run a short distance before officially running a long distance, which is equivalent to "small This way of "squeezing" time effectively avoids waste of resources, minimizes costs, and improves transportation efficiency.
Kong Xinjun, who has been looking for ways for villagers to get rich, said that the people are constantly striving for a well-off life , I hope this "slow train" will not stop. (End)
