Tibetan train driver: escorting the "debut" of the Spring Festival of the Lalin Railway

Author: Xing Shengxiang

Workers Daily client reporter Xing Shengxiang correspondent Ma Wen A beam of light shines through the train wheelset and shines on the small bolts. The Tibetan train driver Slangwangza cat waist, holding a flashlight in his left hand, and his right finger pointing to the walking section, began to prepare for the train. He finished inspecting the locomotive and jumped into the driver's cab.

"The switch button is confirmed, the functional test is normal, the LKJ data is correct..." Everything is ready, "Uh--" A whistle sounded, and the C882 EMU from Nyingchi to Lhasa slowly started and drove away.

On January 17, the 2022 Spring Festival officially opened. This is the largest passenger hub in southeast Tibet - the Nyingchi Railway Station at an altitude of 3,000 meters, and a Trip to Lhasa's Fuxing EMU has just departed on time, which is the "debut" of the Spring Festival after the opening of the Lalin Railway.

Silangwangza, a locomotive attendant at the China Railways Qinghai-Tibet Group Corporation, was tasked with driving the Spring Festival train from Nyingchi to Lhasa safely and on time. "The high standard of operation of passenger trains, not only to be safe and punctual, but also to be stable and comfortable, which tests the skill level of our locomotive drivers, the small handle is 'thousand pounds', and my post is related to the safety of passengers on the entire train." Slangwanza said.

Slangwangza, a 35-year-old from Luolong County, Changdu City, Tibet, joined the qinghai-Tibet Railway locomotive attendants after graduating from the railway academy in 2007, and has been indissoluble with the "Tianlu" train driver for 15 years.

Although Slangwangza is young, he has a wealth of experience, and he has worked as a train driver on many lines such as the Xining-Golmud section of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway and the Golmud-Lhasa section, the Hamu Railway and the Lari Railway.

"I have operated six types of models, including internal combustion locomotives, electric locomotives, 'Harmony' locomotives and 'Fuxing' EMUs, witnessed the development of the road network in the snowy plateau, and personally experienced the upgrading of locomotives, and the railway equipment has become more and more advanced in recent years." Slangwanza has a proud look in his eyes, and in the past 15 years as a locomotive attendant, Slangwangza has safely driven more than 2,300 trips, accumulating 550,000 kilometers. Become one of the few Tibetan youth train drivers on the plateau railway who can master a variety of models, multiple sections, and different groups.

With a lot of drilling, Slangwanza insisted on learning new models in his spare time. He learned business theory from books, followed the old driver to ask for practical experience, practiced the smooth operation skills of the train, and carefully pondered every operation detail.

For his outstanding performance, Slangwangza was selected as a driver for the Lhasa-Nyingchi railway. On June 25 last year, the Lhasa-Nyingchi railway was opened for operation, and Slangwangza was honorably assigned the task of riding the first Fuxing Plateau EMU at Lhasa Station.

After receiving the departure order, Slang Wangza honked his flute and pushed the handle, and at a speed of 160 kilometers per hour, drove to Nyingchi, a "paradise" in Tibet, 435 kilometers away. Since then, the history of no train in the southeastern Tibet region has ended, and the Fuxing EMU has successfully entered Tibet, achieving a historic full coverage of the "Fuxing" in 31 provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities.

The state has tailored professional equipment for the Lalin Railway - the Fuxing Plateau Internal Electric Dual-source Power Centralized EMU, which can adapt to different operating environments such as plateau alpine cold, internal combustion and power sections.

"The power is big, the speed is fast, the mode of operation can be changed at any time, the whole train is supplied with oxygen, the driver's cab has a microwave and refrigerator, the comfort and intelligence are great, and my colleagues say that I am driving a 'luxury car'..." Slangza said confidently and humorously.

As a train driver of the Larin Railway, as the first Spring Festival attendant of the Larin Railway, Slangwanza felt both honored and responsible.

Since the opening of the Lalin Railway, a total of 418,000 passengers have been sent, and this year's Spring Festival is expected to send more than 80,000 passengers, mainly based on work commuting, home visits to relatives, and winter tourist flows. The Lalin Railway has built a three-hour economic circle between the three cities of Lhasa, Shannan, and Nyingchi, benefiting 1.31 million people, accounting for 38.2% of the total population of Tibet, and has become a new heavenly road to enrich the people and revitalize Tibet.

Along the turquoise Brahmaputra River, the C882 Spring Festival train flew all the way to the west and arrived safely at the final Lhasa station after more than 3 hours. At this moment, Slangwangza pushed the window of the car, looked at the passengers of all nationalities who took a selfie, showed a smile, and silently promised the new year and future wishes in his heart: "I will drive every train, escort the Lalin Railway, wait for the Sichuan-Tibet Railway to be repaired to Qamdo, and I will drive the train back to my hometown..."

Source: Workers Daily Client