NANCHANG, Jan. 19 (Xinhua) -- With China's Spring Festival travel rush gaining steam, its vast railway network is gearing up for the enormous challenge of transporting hundreds of millions of passengers across the country. At the heart of this system are experts like Shao Minfu, who work behind the scenes to ensure trains run safely and efficiently.
Shao, 35, is a shift leader at the Nanchang Railway Station in east China's Jiangxi Province, responsible for directing the complex assembly of trains during the year's busiest travel period.
"Every carriage has a unique number, and we need to connect them in a specific order based on the Spring Festival schedule," Shao explained.
This delicate task of disassembling, reattaching and reconfiguring carriages is the reason why Shao and his colleagues are often called "train coordinators."
With the train safely halted and the environment cleared for action, Shao headed to the coupling area where he quickly performed a series of precise jobs -- including uncoupling carriages, removing air pipes and disconnecting the locomotive from the train.
The following step, he said, is to link the next set of carriages carefully. The work is repetitive but requires intense focus, especially during the Spring Festival when traffic is at its annual peak.
Nanchang Railway Station, one of the largest in the province, is a major hub where several high-traffic railway lines intersect. During the Spring Festival period, this station sees a surge in both train and passenger numbers.
To meet the growing demand, the station increased train frequency and carriages, doubling the workload of train experts like Shao.
"During the peak of the Spring Festival rush, a shift can involve more than 60 coupling operations, about twice the usual amount," Shao said.
Each coupling involves dozens of steps, and precision is key. Even the smallest mistake could lead to delays or safety risks, he added.
With over 12 years of experience, Shao has developed a keen understanding of his work. He blends technical skills with an unwavering commitment to safety, and his expertise has earned him top honors in railway skills competitions.
"In our line of work, there is no room for error," he said. "Every detail matters."
Shao keeps pace with the latest regulations to ensure that his knowledge is always up to date. Over the past two years, Shao has achieved a record of zero violations in the course of 10,000 coupling operations.
But Shao is not content to just follow established practices. He constantly looks for ways to improve efficiency and safety. One of the most challenging aspects of train coupling is maintaining an accurate distance between carriages.
Some crew members often rely solely on experience to report distances, which often leads to inaccuracies. Shao, however, devised a new method by using nearby carriages and track markers as references to boost both safety and efficiency.
This method, which focuses on improving various aspects of train operations, including smooth and precise coupling, train delivery and handling of curved tracks, has now been adopted right across the Nanchang station.
"Although our work is done behind the scenes and we don't directly interact with passengers, we always think of them. Our job is to ensure that trains run safely and efficiently, which is ultimately for their benefit," Shao said. ■
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