China News Service, Aba, February 6th: The "lively" Spring Festival travel at the "cold" station on the Western Sichuan Plateau

　　Author Zhu Linlin Zhang Haojie

　　In the early morning of February, in Jiangguan Town, Songpan County, Aba Prefecture, Sichuan Province, the streets were awakened by the biting cold wind. Several shops began to open for business, and the freshly processed yak meat was steaming white. At one end of the road in the town, a Tibetan-style building sandwiched between two mountains is particularly conspicuous. This is the Zhenjiangguan Station of the Sichuan-Qinghai Railway.

The picture shows the Zhenjiangguan Station of the Sichuan-Qinghai Railway on February 5. Photo by Zhang Neng

　　Zhenjiangguan Station is located in a steep mountain, with an altitude of 2,503 meters. Due to terrain restrictions, the station road is above and the station is below. The middle is connected by a curved staircase. Therefore, it is also the only inbound overpass across the national highway in the country. train station.

　　At 8 a.m., station employees began cleaning, sorting passenger tickets, and checking equipment for snow in the cold wind. "Today's passenger flow is concentrated after 12 noon. Let's make adequate preparations before the passengers come." Guo Qi, the director of Zhenjiang Pass Station, gave everyone a safety reminder after calling the names, "Shi De, please You are responsible for coordinating the cleaning. After the 8:50 bus leaves, quickly restore the hygiene. When the passengers are queuing, pause for a while. There are many passengers at that time, and they have to go back and forth to clean, which affects the passengers. The second trip Before the bus departs, go back to the key passenger waiting area and help passengers with children get some luggage. When you see young children going up the stairs, you must go over and help them."

　　After the Sichuan-Qinghai Railway opens at the end of November 2023, it will take 86 minutes at the fastest time from Chengdu East Railway Station to Zhenjiangguan Station, which is about 4 hours faster than taking a car. There is an endless stream of tourists heading to Songpan, Jiuzhaigou, and Huanglong Scenic Spots to stop here. This year, Zhenjiang Pass Station welcomes its first Spring Festival travel rush.

The picture shows passengers waiting for the bus at Zhenjiangguan Station on February 5. Photo by Zhang Haojie

　　At the beginning of the design, Zhenjiangguan Station was used as an intermediate station to mainly handle the travel of residents along the line. The designed waiting area was only 206 square meters. In order to alleviate the pressure of passenger flow, the station has set up temporary waiting areas on overpasses and corridors, and installed display screens, seats and related service facilities. The actual waiting area reaches 1,190 square meters, with a maximum waiting capacity of 992 people.

　　Every day from 10 am to 1 pm is the busiest time of the station.

　　"Generally, when waiting at a station, you only need to check in 15 to 20 minutes in advance. But we can't do that here. We have to wait an hour or two in advance so that passengers can wait on the corridors and overpasses in advance." Tibetan ticket inspector Sangpao Luori looked at the 100-meter long road in front of him. The team said, "The temperature at Zhenjiang Pass is too low, and tourists come early. We cannot let tourists stand outside and feel the cold wind."

　　Hundreds of people entered the station at the same time, and it was too late. It is obviously not the peak tourist season, but after the high-speed train starts operating, tourists have a strong desire to travel. This is the smallest station on the Sichuan-Qinghai Railway, so it carries a passenger flow that far exceeds expectations.

　　"We now have 12 employees working in shifts, all of whom are young people. Most of them are locals, and 8 of them are from ethnic minorities. There are 8 people in each shift. Before the additional trains were started today, 3 pairs of trains were operated every day. There are more than 3,000 tourists, which is about the same as the total number of people in Zhenjiangguan Town. It is very lively." Guo Qi looked at the bustling station every day and mobilized all the staff who could be mobilized, "Every day we eat and live together. , work together, live in the same dormitory building, and eat in the same cafeteria, then there is no distinction between you and me."

The picture shows staff at Zhenjiang Pass Station working on the platform on February 5. Photo by Zhang Neng

　　Every day, all work is in full swing, and the station employees dare not relax at all. "Busy and tense," Xiao Jiudan, a Qiang employee, described it this way. "Especially when the passenger flow is large, we are more focused, paying attention to every link and detail, and doing our best to serve the passengers."

　　Guo Qi was busy with various affairs in the station, and could not respond to the information on the intercom. Even his words became more concise, "The station is small, there are many people, and the responsibility is great", "Take the child in hand", "The old man is coming in".

　　At noon, Luo Wu Jiancuo, a Tibetan station attendant who was originally engaged in driving, stood at the overpass with a loudspeaker. Although everyone has their own division of labor, they all automatically fill in during breaks. "With so many passengers, so many waiting points, one more person and one more pair of eyes, it is our greatest wish to allow passengers to travel safely."

　　A busy day can only end when the last train leaves Zhenjiangguan Station.

　　As of February 5, the Zhenjiang Pass Station of the Sichuan-Qinghai Railway has transported more than 100,000 tourists, and more than 60,000 tourists have been transported free of charge. The number of tourists in Songpan Ancient City is increasing day by day, and the number of tourists in Huanglong Scenic Area has doubled compared with the same period in previous years. (over)