A journey with track walkers

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While Chinese people are on the train to go back home for family reunions during the Spring Festival, these workers are tasked to walk.

A group of 20 track walkers in Emeishan City, southwest China’s Sichuan Province are on their walk along the Chengdu-Kunming railway link to ensure normal operation.

Xinhua Photo

The Chengdu-Kunming railway is a major line in southwestern part of the country from Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan Province, to Kunming, the capital of Yunnan Province. Trains run over mountains and through ravines along the 1,134-kilometer railroad,

Xinhua Photo

The 20 workers have to finish a 169-kilometer section of track and sleeper maintenance and safety inspections. Along the section between Jiuli Station and Nan’ergang Station, they carry drill rods to smash dangerous rocks and clear up them out. Concrete and cement are also the necessary materials to fix things.

Xinhua Photo‍

Rugged roads, wide mountains, and cold weather make up their work environment, and they are known as “the loneliest workers” for it.

Xinhua Photo

However, they are not the only ones in the country doing the work. In Nanjing, there were reportedly just 15 track walkers left in 2015 due to the wide application of high-speed railways. A 10-kilogram bag was the gear for each one’s task, and each day around 210,000 screws and 35,000 sleepers were checked and marked every 15 kilometers.

Xinhua Photo

Despite the fact that they cannot have a reunion with their family, they say tracks keep them company, and they would like to continue working for as long as they can.