A Slow Train in the Dabie Mountains

Photos by Li Hui

A slow but cost-effective train鄉(xiāng)親們乘坐票價(jià)實(shí)惠的慢火車

At 07:10,November 6,2020,Train 8332 pulled out of Macheng Train Station in the Dabie Mountains slowly.It took passengers to cross the rolling mountains before arriving at Huanbin County of Xinyang City in Henan Province.It is a slow green train that stops at every small station along the busy Beijing-Kowloon Railway.

It has three compartments with cheap tickets and few passengers.Since its operation 24 years ago,it has never stopped service despite repeated changes of the railway operating schedules.This slow train harbors warmth for the people living along the route in the Dabie Mountains.

The train runs through several contiguous areas of dire poverty and helps to lift people out of poverty by promoting the tourism industry of counties along the railway,such as Macheng,Xinxian,Guangshan,Huangchuan,and Huaibin.

A slow tour in the colorful mountains

To catch Train 8332 on November 6,we arrived at Macheng from Wuhan the day before and stayed in a hotel near the train station.

Macheng Station used to be a big station in Hubei Province,but it has become less crowded since the establishment of Macheng North Station on the high-speed railway system 11 years ago.

2020年11月6日清晨7 時(shí)10分，大別山深處的麻城火車站。8332 次列車緩緩啟動(dòng)，載著鄉(xiāng)親，穿越群山，向河南淮濱駛?cè)?。這是繁忙的京九鐵路線上，一趟站站停的綠皮慢火車。

只有三節(jié)車廂，票價(jià)低廉，乘客也不多，但這趟公益慢火車，從24年前京九鐵路開通那天起，一直運(yùn)營到今天，歷經(jīng)數(shù)次鐵路線路調(diào)圖也不曾停開，串起大別山區(qū)溫暖的慢生活。

這趟列車穿行于大別山集中連片特困區(qū)，帶動(dòng)了沿線的麻城、新縣、光山、潢川、淮濱等地的旅游業(yè)發(fā)展，脫貧攻堅(jiān)工作取得顯著成效。

僅三節(jié)車廂的慢火車，穿行在彩色的大別山

為了能在11月6日清晨坐上8332 次列車，5日下午，我們提前從武漢趕到麻城，住在火車站附近的一家小旅館。

麻城站曾是京九鐵路在湖北境內(nèi)的大站。11年前，麻城北站開通并運(yùn)營高鐵線路后，麻城站冷清了不少。

6日清晨7 時(shí)前，我們踏著薄霧來到麻城站。8332 次列車只有三節(jié)車廂，和長長的站臺形成“反差萌”，車身印著“公益慢火車”字樣。

7 時(shí)10 分，隨著一聲悠長的笛聲，列車緩緩啟動(dòng)。時(shí)值深秋，沿線的大別山層林盡染，令人賞心悅目。

8332 次列車最高時(shí)速僅100 余公里，而且站站?？?。和時(shí)速兩三百公里的高鐵動(dòng)車相比，它是名副其實(shí)的慢火車。

在始發(fā)站上車的乘客不到10人。但沿途不斷有人上車，既有旅客，也有鐵路工作人員。列車長告訴記者，這趟公益慢火車在滿足沿線居民出行需求的同時(shí)，還兼顧鐵路員工通勤的功能。

小伙在漢打工3年，常坐這趟慢火車回家

在麻城站，33 歲的戴大偉和記者一同上車。“爺爺過80 大壽，我專門請假回去給他祝壽。”他說。

戴大偉是水電安裝工，3年前從河南新縣到武漢打工。武昌站、漢口站都有直達(dá)新縣的列車，他為什么到麻城中轉(zhuǎn)8332 次列車呢？

Fu Taihua and his wife are regular passengers of this train扶太華和老伴是慢火車的老乘客

At around 07:00,on a misty morning,we reached the railway station and found the threecompartment train with the name Slow Public Service Train on the front strikingly short and eye-catching amid the modern platform.

With a long whistle,the train pulled out slowly at 07:10.It was late autumn.The colorful foliage on the Dabie Mountains offered us a pleasing view along the way.

Train 8332 stops at every small station and runs at a top speed of 100 km/h.It’s quite slow compared with the high-speed train which can reach 200 or 300 km/h.

There were only 10 passengers boarding the train at Macheng Station,but more passengers and railway staff boarded the train along the way.The chief conductor told us that the train met the needs of both residents along the route and the commuting railway staff.

A train back home

Dai Dawei on the train back to his hometown in Henan Province戴大偉乘坐慢火車回河南老家探親

Dai Dawei,33,boarded the train together with us at Macheng Station.He told us,“I asked for several days’ leave to go home and celebrate my grandpa’s 80th birthday.”

Dai Dawei left Xinxian in Henan,his hometown,three years ago and became a plumber in Wuhan.There were also trains to Xinxian from Wuchang Station and Hankou Station in Wuhan,but why did he choose to take Train 8332 at Macheng?

“The time of the train suits me well,” Dai Dawei explained.“I get on the train at around 07:00 from Macheng and arrive at Xinxian County in less than one hour,and then take a half-hour bus.I can get home before 09:00 so that I’ll have more time to spend with my family.If I take another train,I won’t be home until in the afternoon.”

To catch this early train,Dai Dawei came to Macheng one day early from Wuhan and stayed in an inn which cost him 20 yuan.The ticket price for the 60-km journey from Macheng to Xinxian by Train 8332 was only 3 yuan.

Dai Dawei worked in Wuhan,while his wife,two kids,and parents lived in his hometown,which made him a frequent passenger on Train 8332.In the past three years,he would spare at least one or two days to go back home by this train every two or three months,no matter how busy he was.

“Our life has become better and better in the past several years,”Dai Dawei said.“The slow train has witnessed every important event of my family.”

Hubei vendors sell vegetables at the food market close to Huangchuan Train Station in Henan Province多名湖北老鄉(xiāng)在河南潢川站附近的農(nóng)貿(mào)市場擺攤

“這趟車時(shí)間好。我7 點(diǎn)多鐘從麻城上車，不到1 個(gè)小時(shí)就能到新縣縣城，再坐半個(gè)小時(shí)班車，9點(diǎn)前就能到家，這樣我就能多幾個(gè)小時(shí)陪家人。而從武漢搭其他車次，都要下午才能到家?！贝鞔髠フf。

為了趕這趟早班車，戴大偉前一天晚上從武漢趕到麻城，在20元一晚的小旅館湊合了一晚。乘坐8332 次列車從麻城到新縣，60 公里路程，票價(jià)僅3 元。

戴大偉是8332 次列車的老乘客。他在武漢打工，妻子、兩個(gè)孩子和父母都在老家。3年來，哪怕工作再忙，每隔兩三個(gè)月，他都會(huì)騰出一兩天時(shí)間，乘坐這趟列車回家看看。

“這幾年，家里的生活越來越好。可以說，公益慢火車見證了我家發(fā)生的每一件喜事?！贝鞔髠フf。

這趟車開了24年，打貨的老兩口坐了23年

上午8 時(shí)06 分，列車到達(dá)河南新縣站。戴大偉跟記者揮手道別，匆匆下車。67 歲的扶太華和老伴吳廣珍，一人提著一個(gè)大蛇皮袋，進(jìn)入車廂。

“里面裝著啥好東西呢？”記者從鄰座探頭詢問。扶太華樂呵呵地打開袋子，里面碼放著嶄新的毛巾、襪子等小物件。原來，扶太華和老伴在新縣小西街市場開日雜服裝店，他們要到潢川的批發(fā)商那里換貨?！靶驴h到潢川六七十公里，票價(jià)只要3 元錢，便宜??！”扶太華說。做生意講究開源節(jié)流，省下的才是利潤。

A couple of loyal passengers

The train pulled in Xinxian Station at 08:06.Dai Dawei waved goodbye to us and got offthe train.Fu Taihua,67,and his wife,Wu Guangzhen,walked into the compartment,each carrying a large PP woven bag.

“What goods do you have inside?” we asked the old couple.Fu Taihua opened a bag with a smile and showed us stacks of brand new towels,socks,and other items.Fu Taihua and his wife had a grocery store at Xiaoxi Street Market in Xinxian,and they often went to Huangchuan to purchase new items from a wholesaler.“It is about 60 or 70 km from Xinxian to Huangchuan,but it only costs us 3 yuan.How cheap it is!” Fu Taihua said.Every penny counts in business,and the cost saved is also profit.

Knowing we came from Wuhan,Fu Taihua said in excitement,“We used to purchase goods from Hanzheng Street in Wuhan more than 20 years ago.The porters there walked very fast with bags on their shoulders.We could hardly catch up with them even if we had nothing to carry.”Since Huangchuan got its own wholesale market 23 years ago,the old couple became regular passengers on this slow train.They would take this train at least once a month.In the past when logistics infrastructure was still underdeveloped,they took the train to carry bags of goods from Huangchuan to Xinxian.Every journey on the train witnessed improvement in their life.

With the development of logistics,the old couple doesn’t have to travel far to purchase goods.All the goods will be sent to their store as required.But they still like to take the slow train at times and enjoy the views along the route.

Behind every steady and comfortable journey

Train 8332/1 shuttles between Macheng Station of Hubei Province and Huaibin Station of Henan Province.Yue Wu and Liu Gao are the drivers of this train.Both of them are from the Jiang’an Branch of Wuhan Railway.

Yue Wu has more than 20 years of train driving under his belt,and he is quite experienced in both cargo and passenger trains,diesel locomotives,and electric locomotives.It took some time for him to adapt to this slow train when he took the job in September 2020.

“The maximum load of the cargo train I once drove was up to 6000 tons,but this slow train weighs less than 200 tons—less heavy than the locomotive!” Yue Wu said.“I thought it might be easier to operate,but it turned out to be the opposite.”

Driving a passenger train requires much more focus than driving a cargo train in the aspects of safety,punctuality,and smooth operation.“It is very difficult to guarantee passengers a steady and comfortable journey on this train because it is light and needs to start and stop frequently,” Yue Wu explained.He and Liu Gao often studied and exchanged ideas on how to drive the train more smoothly.We felt quite comfortable on the train and seldom encountered bumps on the way.

They usually go to the station at 05:00 every morning,start the train at 07:10,and arrive at Huaibin Station at 09:52 before returning.The return trip ends at 13:00.They have to hand it over to their colleagues and prepare for the next journey before getting offat 17:00.Yue Wu and Liu Gao can only stay in the drivers’ apartment when on duty,and have little time to spend with their family.

Yue Wu said,“We seldom have vacations and will be much busier on holidays.I have been a train driver for 20 years,and I owe my family a lot.”

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The slow public service train traveling in the Dabie Mountains is an epitome of the poverty alleviation project.The Ministry of Railways launched 81 lines of slow trains nationwide for public service,which covers 14 contiguous areas of dire poverty and 104 national-level poor counties in 21 provinces.

The slow trains promote the development of the regions along the route and have helped the local people lift themselves out of poverty.The chief conductor of Train 8332 told us that the slow public service trains are serving as an important means of transportation for people living along the Dabie Mountains.Residents from Macheng often took the train with their local products and sold them in Huangchuan,Huaibin,and other places.Sometimes,they even sell their products on the train.They are enjoying a more and more prosperous life with increased income.

聽說記者來自武漢，扶太華嗓門一亮：“20 多年前，我們常去漢正街進(jìn)貨。那里的‘扁擔(dān)’太厲害了，挑著我們的貨走街串巷，比我們兩手空空走得還快，我們跟在后面攆不贏！”

23年前，潢川有了批發(fā)市場，這對夫妻就成了公益慢火車的常客，每個(gè)月至少要坐它進(jìn)一次貨。在交通物流還不甚發(fā)達(dá)的年代，他們通過這趟火車，把一包包貨物從潢川拉回新縣銷售，這趟慢火車也成了他們的生活一步步奔向小康的見證。

近幾年，物流越來越方便，貨物都是由物流公司直接送到店門口。扶太華老兩口再也不用自己扛著貨物趕火車了，但他們還是喜歡不時(shí)坐一坐慢火車，輕輕松松欣賞沿途的風(fēng)光。

司機(jī)天亮就出勤，每天琢磨如何開得更穩(wěn)

8332/1 次列車往返于湖北麻城站與河南淮濱站之間，目前由武鐵江岸機(jī)務(wù)段的樂武、劉高負(fù)責(zé)牽引。

樂武做火車司機(jī)20 多年，開過貨車和客車，也開過內(nèi)燃機(jī)車和電力機(jī)車，經(jīng)驗(yàn)豐富。然而2020年9月，當(dāng)他來到公益慢火車時(shí)，還是很不適應(yīng)。

“我最重拉過6000 噸貨物，慢火車總重不足200 噸，還沒我開過的火車頭重呢！一開始我想，這應(yīng)該蠻輕松吧？沒想到不是一回事。”樂武說。

開客車和貨車的最大區(qū)別是，客車對安全準(zhǔn)點(diǎn)、平穩(wěn)操作要求更高?！坝绕涫沁@種慢火車，自重很輕，還站站?？?，需要頻繁啟動(dòng)和制動(dòng)，保證乘坐舒適難度很大?！睒肺浣榻B。自從來到8332/1 次列車，他和劉高每天琢磨，想方設(shè)法把車開得更平穩(wěn)。記者乘坐這趟列車體驗(yàn)時(shí)，啟動(dòng)和制動(dòng)都很平滑舒適，幾乎沒有頓挫感。

每天清晨5 時(shí)出勤，7 時(shí)10 分發(fā)車，9 時(shí)52 分到終點(diǎn)淮濱站，再原路返回，到麻城站已是下午1 時(shí)許。經(jīng)過交接、整備等環(huán)節(jié)，下午5 時(shí)許才能下班，日復(fù)一日，周而復(fù)始。當(dāng)班期間，樂武和劉高只能住在司機(jī)公寓，和家人在一起的時(shí)間非常有限。

樂武說：“我們一年到頭沒有年節(jié)假日，越是逢年過節(jié)反而越忙。做鐵路司機(jī)20 多年，我最虧欠的就是家人?！?/p>

鏈接>>>

開行在大別山區(qū)的公益慢火車，只是鐵路助力扶貧的一個(gè)縮影。在全國14 個(gè)集中連片特困地區(qū)，鐵路部門開行了81 對公益慢火車，覆蓋全國21 個(gè)省份、104個(gè)國家級貧困縣市。

慢火車串起一條線，但輻射帶動(dòng)了沿線區(qū)域融入不斷完善的鐵路網(wǎng)，幫助這些貧困地區(qū)脫貧致富。8332 次慢火車列車長告訴記者，公益慢火車是大別山區(qū)百姓出行的重要交通工具，經(jīng)常有麻城老鄉(xiāng)挑著鮮活農(nóng)產(chǎn)品，搭乘這趟列車到河南潢川、淮濱等地出售，有時(shí)甚至直接在車廂里擺起“小集市”，收入越來越多，日子越過越好。