On September 25, at Chongqingbei Railway Station, train attendants dressed in uniforms from different periods of Chengdu-Chongqing Hexie EMUs were ready to serve passengers.

CHONGQING (CQNEWS) -- At 10:00 p.m. on September 25, Cheng Yan, an instructor of High-speed Train Operation Workshop of Chongqing Locomotive Depot, came to the platform alone and saw G8528 pulling out of Chongqingbei Railway Station. It was the last trains running between Chengdu and Chongqing on that day. As the horn honked, the G8528 trains set off and gradually got out of Cheng Yan’s sight.  

“September 26, 2019 is the 10th anniversary of the Chengdu-Chongqing High-speed Railway in service, which is memorable for me and even the railway construction in Southwest China,” said Cheng Yan.

Flying on land is achieved

Cheng Yan has set an example by naming the high-speed trains driving method after a person. The method called “Cheng Yan Train Running Method” is still used by high-speed train drivers.

On September 26, 2009, he took on the task of running the first Hexie CRH trains in Southwest China. There were 3 requirements for him: the first is speediness, which means that the distance is over 300km, the trains are required to arrive in 1 hour and 59 minutes; the second is stability, which means the trains shall be started smoothly and run at a constant speed; and the last is accurate parking, so as to reduce the walking time of passengers. 

On running the trains smoothly, Cheng Yan had to explore the method by himself for there are no cases in China for reference. Before setting out, he had on-site visits to the departure station and some important sections to know the slope of the line and the length of the platform. Then he calculated at home and finally figured out the “Cheng Yan’s Train Running Method”.

At 8 a.m. on September 26, 2009, Cheng Yan, who was driving the first EMUs in the southwest China, departed from Chongqingbei Railway Station and arrived at Chengdu Railway Station at 9:54 a.m., only 1 hour and 54 minutes in total, 5 minutes less than the required. Cheng Yan remembered that there were reporters walking back and forth in the trains then, and they told him EMUs achieved the expectation of flying on land.

Travel conditions and service are comparable with that on planes

Luo Yali is the conductor of the first trains of Chengdu-Chongqing EMUs. In her view, the running speed and the travel conditions are improved on these trains.

She entered Chongqing Passenger Transport Depot in 1994. As she recalled, in the past, there were only steam locomotives on railways powered by coal. There were no air conditioners, so passengers had to open windows to let some air in. However, when windows were open, coal ashes would float into the trains. Their noses and faces would be filled with ashes after tickets checking.

Travel conditions on Hexie EMUs were also improved: space becomes large, integrated air conditioners and automatic inductive washrooms were installed. “Our service shall improve at the same time. We should learn from airline stewardesses.” Luo Yali said that a senior trainer of Air China Limited was hired to train them by the standards of airline stewardesses.

On September 26, 2009, Luo Yali and her colleagues wore uniform, top hats and scarves, looking energetic. She noticed that passengers’ quality is also improved. Most passengers put their luggage neatly on the baggage holder rather than anywhere else.

Luo said that some passenger would arrive at their station after a short sleep, as quickly as taking planes.

Chengdu-Chongqing EMUs enters the era of high-speed railway 

On December 26, 2015, Chengdu-Chongqing High-speed Railway was officially operated, which shorts the running time between Chengdu and Chongqing into 1 hour and a half, indicating Chengdu-Chongqing EMUs enters the era of high-speed railway.

Chengdu-Chongqing EMUs and Chengdu-Chongqing High-speed Railway are both in operation and there are many differences between them.

Chengdu-Chongqing High-speed Railway is a passenger transport line, mainly constructed with ballastless tracks. Its speed per hour is no less than 250km, with train number started with “G”. Chengdu-Chongqing EMUs is a high-speed railway, mainly constructed with common tracks. Its speed per hour is no more than 200km, with train number started with “D”.

Over the past 10 years, about 180 million visits were transported by them without any passenger casualties.

Relevant person said that there are about 90 one-way EMUs and high-speed trains running between Chengdu and Chongqing every day, making passenger's travel more convenient. (Translated by Mao Qiao, Fathom Language Limited)