A Slow Train in the Dabie Mountains

Photos by Li Hui

A slow but cost-effective train乡亲们乘坐票价实惠的慢火车

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 时10分，大别山深处的麻城火车站。8332 次列车缓缓启动，载着乡亲，穿越群山，向河南淮滨驶去。这是繁忙的京九铁路线上，一趟站站停的绿皮慢火车。

只有三节车厢，票价低廉，乘客也不多，但这趟公益慢火车，从24年前京九铁路开通那天起，一直运营到今天，历经数次铁路线路调图也不曾停开，串起大别山区温暖的慢生活。

这趟列车穿行于大别山集中连片特困区，带动了沿线的麻城、新县、光山、潢川、淮滨等地的旅游业发展，脱贫攻坚工作取得显著成效。

仅三节车厢的慢火车，穿行在彩色的大别山

为了能在11月6日清晨坐上8332 次列车，5日下午，我们提前从武汉赶到麻城，住在火车站附近的一家小旅馆。

麻城站曾是京九铁路在湖北境内的大站。11年前，麻城北站开通并运营高铁线路后，麻城站冷清了不少。

6日清晨7 时前，我们踏着薄雾来到麻城站。8332 次列车只有三节车厢，和长长的站台形成“反差萌”，车身印着“公益慢火车”字样。

7 时10 分，随着一声悠长的笛声，列车缓缓启动。时值深秋，沿线的大别山层林尽染，令人赏心悦目。

8332 次列车最高时速仅100 余公里，而且站站停靠。和时速两三百公里的高铁动车相比，它是名副其实的慢火车。

在始发站上车的乘客不到10人。但沿途不断有人上车，既有旅客，也有铁路工作人员。列车长告诉记者，这趟公益慢火车在满足沿线居民出行需求的同时，还兼顾铁路员工通勤的功能。

小伙在汉打工3年，常坐这趟慢火车回家

在麻城站，33 岁的戴大伟和记者一同上车。“爷爷过80 大寿，我专门请假回去给他祝寿。”他说。

戴大伟是水电安装工，3年前从河南新县到武汉打工。武昌站、汉口站都有直达新县的列车，他为什么到麻城中转8332 次列车呢？

Fu Taihua and his wife are regular passengers of this train扶太华和老伴是慢火车的老乘客

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戴大伟乘坐慢火车回河南老家探亲

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多名湖北老乡在河南潢川站附近的农贸市场摆摊

“这趟车时间好。我7 点多钟从麻城上车，不到1 个小时就能到新县县城，再坐半个小时班车，9点前就能到家，这样我就能多几个小时陪家人。而从武汉搭其他车次，都要下午才能到家。”戴大伟说。

为了赶这趟早班车，戴大伟前一天晚上从武汉赶到麻城，在20元一晚的小旅馆凑合了一晚。乘坐8332 次列车从麻城到新县，60 公里路程，票价仅3 元。

戴大伟是8332 次列车的老乘客。他在武汉打工，妻子、两个孩子和父母都在老家。3年来，哪怕工作再忙，每隔两三个月，他都会腾出一两天时间，乘坐这趟列车回家看看。

“这几年，家里的生活越来越好。可以说，公益慢火车见证了我家发生的每一件喜事。”戴大伟说。

这趟车开了24年，打货的老两口坐了23年

上午8 时06 分，列车到达河南新县站。戴大伟跟记者挥手道别，匆匆下车。67 岁的扶太华和老伴吴广珍，一人提着一个大蛇皮袋，进入车厢。

“里面装着啥好东西呢？”记者从邻座探头询问。扶太华乐呵呵地打开袋子，里面码放着崭新的毛巾、袜子等小物件。原来，扶太华和老伴在新县小西街市场开日杂服装店，他们要到潢川的批发商那里换货。“新县到潢川六七十公里，票价只要3 元钱，便宜啊！”扶太华说。做生意讲究开源节流，省下的才是利润。

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.

听说记者来自武汉，扶太华嗓门一亮：“20 多年前，我们常去汉正街进货。那里的‘扁担’太厉害了，挑着我们的货走街串巷，比我们两手空空走得还快，我们跟在后面撵不赢！”

23年前，潢川有了批发市场，这对夫妻就成了公益慢火车的常客，每个月至少要坐它进一次货。在交通物流还不甚发达的年代，他们通过这趟火车，把一包包货物从潢川拉回新县销售，这趟慢火车也成了他们的生活一步步奔向小康的见证。

近几年，物流越来越方便，货物都是由物流公司直接送到店门口。扶太华老两口再也不用自己扛着货物赶火车了，但他们还是喜欢不时坐一坐慢火车，轻轻松松欣赏沿途的风光。

司机天亮就出勤，每天琢磨如何开得更稳

8332/1 次列车往返于湖北麻城站与河南淮滨站之间，目前由武铁江岸机务段的乐武、刘高负责牵引。

乐武做火车司机20 多年，开过货车和客车，也开过内燃机车和电力机车，经验丰富。然而2020年9月，当他来到公益慢火车时，还是很不适应。

“我最重拉过6000 吨货物，慢火车总重不足200 吨，还没我开过的火车头重呢！一开始我想，这应该蛮轻松吧？没想到不是一回事。”乐武说。

开客车和货车的最大区别是，客车对安全准点、平稳操作要求更高。“尤其是这种慢火车，自重很轻，还站站停靠，需要频繁启动和制动，保证乘坐舒适难度很大。”乐武介绍。自从来到8332/1 次列车，他和刘高每天琢磨，想方设法把车开得更平稳。记者乘坐这趟列车体验时，启动和制动都很平滑舒适，几乎没有顿挫感。

每天清晨5 时出勤，7 时10 分发车，9 时52 分到终点淮滨站，再原路返回，到麻城站已是下午1 时许。经过交接、整备等环节，下午5 时许才能下班，日复一日，周而复始。当班期间，乐武和刘高只能住在司机公寓，和家人在一起的时间非常有限。

乐武说：“我们一年到头没有年节假日，越是逢年过节反而越忙。做铁路司机20 多年，我最亏欠的就是家人。”

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开行在大别山区的公益慢火车，只是铁路助力扶贫的一个缩影。在全国14 个集中连片特困地区，铁路部门开行了81 对公益慢火车，覆盖全国21 个省份、104个国家级贫困县市。

慢火车串起一条线，但辐射带动了沿线区域融入不断完善的铁路网，帮助这些贫困地区脱贫致富。8332 次慢火车列车长告诉记者，公益慢火车是大别山区百姓出行的重要交通工具，经常有麻城老乡挑着鲜活农产品，搭乘这趟列车到河南潢川、淮滨等地出售，有时甚至直接在车厢里摆起“小集市”，收入越来越多，日子越过越好。