Connecting China's Southwest: Train in southwest China's mountains provides lifeline to locals

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China's massive, nationwide high-speed rail network continues to improve and expand, bringing an unprecedented level of convenience to travelers. But in the country's southwestern mountains not yet covered by the network, one train route has provided a life-line to locals for more than six decades, slowly, though consistently. CGTN's Zhou Jiaxin has more.

7:30 am. Train 6063 leaves for Guangyuan from Baoji. Its entire journey spans 351 kilometers and 38 stops, including impoverished mountainous areas in Shaanxi, Sichuan and Gansu provinces. With an average speed of under 70 kilometers per hour, it's considered as a slow train. Li Quanxiu is a 64-year-old villager who lives along the route deep in mountains.

LI QUANXIU VILLAGER "I can earn around 40 yuan on one trip. My family is in need of money."

Too old to find a job, she plants vegetables at home and sells them in the city. It's her only source of income. And train 6063 is the cheapest vehicle she is able to take to arrive at the Guangyuan Night Market. Costing only 1 yuan to travel 20 kilometers, Li says it's her only travel option.

She is one of many Shaanxi locals whose livelihood depends on the train service. It not only brings financial benefits to the vendors but also bridges connections between passengers and train attendants. Xiang Baolin, a conductor on 6063, has worked here for 32 years, accompanying passengers on the slow train. He says the train transports about 162,000 passengers throughout the year.

XIANG BAOLIN CONDUCTOR, TRAIN 6063 "As we can see, the ticket price for the whole 350-km journey is only 21.5 yuan. The slow train is losing a lot of money. But the villagers along the route need it. So we still keep it in service."

For more than 60 years, and at least for the foreseeable future, it will continue to provide many in southwestern China with vital support. ZHOU JIAXIN, CGTN, LUEYANG, SHAANXI PROVINCE.