Big gains on slow tracks

Even as the national high-speed rail network reaches speeds close to 300 km per hour, some public-interest slow trains still run through remote mountain areas and ethnic communities, providing residents with reliable and convenient transport.

Villagers say the station is within walking distance of their homes. Without the train, they would have to walk an hour to town and then transfer to a minibus to reach the city, which is time-consuming and onerous.

"Especially in winter, roads can ice over and become impassable, but our train runs in all weather," says conductor Hu Guichuan.