Railway employees keep tracks free, goods flowing

Come snow, wind or heat, dispatchers in Jilin province are always on duty

On the morning of Jan 22, the first day of the Year of the Rabbit, Lu Hailong returned home after work for a family reunion dinner with his parents. The big Lunar New Year dinner is usually had on Lunar New Year's Eve, but because of work, Lu had to wait a little longer to enjoy it.

It was the first New Year that Lu spent on the job at Qipan Railway Station in Jilin city, Jilin province.

"It was also the first time that I welcomed the Lunar New Year without my family," said the 23-year-old railway dispatcher. "However, I was proud of contributing to the smooth flow of freight trains taking coal to power plants and daily necessities to people during the most important festival in China."

Despite temperatures that plunged below -30 C during the festival, Lu and his colleagues remained at their posts outdoors.

Located 19 kilometers from the city, Qipan Railway Station is Jilin's largest freight train marshaling station. It disassembles 54 trains and reassembles 48 every day.