'Train doctors' keep Xinjiang on route to fast-track growth

URUMQI — Amid the sound of firecrackers and drums during Spring Festival, a group of train mechanics were working around the clock in a bullet train workshop in Urumqi, capital of China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, to ensure the safety of each train.

"The Spring Festival travel rush is the busiest period of the year. Our workload increases greatly during the period, but it is worthwhile to make sure that every passenger gets home safely," says Azigul Tuniyaz.

The 42-year-old specialist is one of over 380 train mechanics at the Urumqi bullet train unit maintenance station. The team includes 41 members from 10 ethnic groups.

Since China adjusted its COVID-19 response, the number of bullet trains in operation in Xinjiang has increased to 36 to meet people's travel and tourism needs during the festival. These mechanics work in rotation to keep the trains and the passengers they carry secure.

Born into a family of railway workers in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, Azigul Tuniyaz lived near the railway station and grew up listening to the train whistles.

"I was very enthusiastic about train car parts, so my father encouraged me to further explore the field," the Uygur woman says, adding that although, in many people's eyes, railway transportation is not a suitable field for women, she wanted to follow her heart.

In 2001, after graduation, she began to work in Xinjiang, responsible for troubleshooting issues on train cars and fixing them. Twelve years later, due to her excellent performance, she was trained and dispatched to be a bullet train mechanic when the region started introducing high-speed rail infrastructure.

During her shift, the woman, with delicate makeup and permed hair, was wearing a hard hat and a light gray uniform, while devoting herself to flaw detection, repairs and looking after the power supply.

"The uniform reminds me to focus on my work. I need to be completely clearheaded, responsible and careful, as any carelessness could result in serious consequences," she says.

A few years ago, she was rewarded for discovering a major flaw. Today, she has grown to a veteran train mechanic, cultivating young workers for the station.

Another senior bullet train mechanic, Alim Yimin, 36, from the Kirgiz ethnic group, was once a shepherd on the Pamir Plateau. His hometown is more than 1,000 kilometers away from Urumqi.

"My father didn't want to send me to school. He wanted me to become a herdsman or run a repair shop, but I insisted on receiving an education," says Alim Yimin, adding that he could never forget the miserable memories of herding sheep and looking for stray animals during storms, which motivated him to study hard and go to university.

In 2014, he graduated from Lanzhou Jiaotong University majoring in vehicle engineering and started his career at the bullet train unit maintenance station in Urumqi. He is in charge of checking the wheels and the power supply of the trains.

"I found a gap between me and my co-workers, who work very hard. So I continue to learn from them and strive to be better," he says.

He later became a senior mechanic and, in the process, has obtained four operation certificates for low-voltage electrician, high-place operation, forklift driver and hoist operator.

In general, it takes at least 18 months to train a bullet train mechanic, and this involves large sums of money.

Official statistics show that there are more than 7,400 employees from ethnic minority groups working in the railway system in Xinjiang.

The railway in Xinjiang has added 4,176 km of operational track since 2012, pushing the total to over 9,091 km.