CHONGQING (CQNEWS) -- When people think of railways, the first thing that comes to mind is trains. However, there are countless people working behind the scenes to keep trains running normally, and one of them is the overhead contact line workers. Regardless of the broiling summer or freezing winter, the overhead contact line workers have to work at a height of six meters to secure the transmission lines erected along the railway lines that supply power to the electric locomotives. They ridicule themselves as “three high” workers: high altitude, high pressure and high risk.

At 8:30 a.m., after the dispatcher’s instruction of “permission to operate” came over the intercom, 90 overhead contact line workers quickly started working. On this day, there was a two-hour maintenance period in Sanjiang Section of Chongqing-Guiyang Railway, and they needed to complete the maintenance in that time.

The group of railway Spider-Man is extremely skilled at climbing. Soon, some have climbed up the 14-meter-high power supply tower, and some of them reached the overhead contact lines in a special access truck or access ladder to start their overhaul operations.

The man in the red vest is Tang Huayun, Director of Qijiang Power Supply Workshop of Chongqing Power Supply Section. He was commissioning equipment, and this was his tenth year of working on overhead contact lines. He told us that Sanjiang Section belongs to Chongqing-Guiyang Railway, and due to its age, many of the lines are old and in serious need of replacement. However, maintenance time must be applied according to the running time of trains. These overhead contact lines normally have 27.5 kV of high voltage power, which is only cut off during maintenance.

Despite the heat, overhead contact lines workers must wear long-sleeved shirts, long pants, white gloves, helmets and safety harnesses to get on the platform. Tang Huayun told us that after exposure to the sun, the temperature of the catenary of overhead contact lines would reach more than 60°C, like hot deep-fried dough sticks. It must be put on before work, or their arm will get burned as soon as it touches the struts, catenaries and cantilevers.

On the day of the interview, the temperature exceeded 37°C. Under the burning sun, the rails and railcars had already been scorched by the sun. But still, these workers were doing tight lines and installing lever blocks... They were working methodically.

Under the hot sun, sweat was pouring down Spider-men’s cheeks and helmet belt, and his clothes were soaked through. After completing two hours of aerial work that day, the man born after 1990s also had stains on his neck. He told us that being able to take a sip of Coke at the end of every day job was pretty happy.

Only half an hour left before the end of maintenance time. At 10 a.m., the sun was getting hotter and hotter and the heat was coming in waves. The overhead contact lines workers were stepping up to complete the final process.

Today, at the peak of the summer rush, there is an endless stream of trains coming and going from south to north. These overhead contact lines workers stick to their posts under the hot sun, guarding the safety of millions of passengers. Thank you, railway Spider-men! (Translated by Wang Huixin, Fathom Language Limited)