Xinhua Perspective | For the Safety of Every Passenger - Three Trains on the Fengsha Line: A Review of the Wind and Rain Time Z180 | Train | Crew

The rainstorm in Beijing Tianjin Hebei caught three trains on Fengsha Line, namely K396, K1178 and Z180. How is food guaranteed? How can passengers safely transfer and evacuate? The three train crew members truthfully tell touching stories of overcoming difficulties together in the wind and rain.

Typhoon "Dussuri" brought an unexpected extreme rainfall to the North China and Huanghuai regions, causing serious flooding at the Beijing railway hub. Multiple passenger trains were blocked, signals were interrupted, and supplies were scarce. The safety of passengers and train crew was a concern for people.

The K396 train attendant Zhao Yang choked up and comforted the passengers, saying, "We walked seven to eight hundred meters to bring things back from the two collapsed areas. It's because I'm wearing these clothes that I have to respect everyone. Don't crowd!" This touching video happened on the K396 train from Wuhai West Station in Inner Mongolia to Fengtai Station in Beijing. According to the original plan, train K396 should arrive at Fengtai Station on the morning of July 30th. However, a sudden heavy rainstorm stranded the train at Luopoling Station, which is less than 70 kilometers away from Fengtai Station.

The train is stuck, lacking water and food, with no signal, and passengers can imagine their anxious emotions. In an emergency, seven stewards on duty, including Zhao Yang, braved the rainstorm to pick up supplies. The roads were obstructed and the houses collapsed. They were carrying high-voltage lines overhead and stepping on turbulent water currents, finally delivering the supplies back to the car. Due to the large number of passengers on the train, supplies quickly ran out again, and some emotionally excited passengers gathered towards the dining car.

Zhao Yang recalled, "You may have seen in the video that I was stepping on a chair because when I stood there, I was short and nobody paid attention to me, so I stood on the chair. Actually, I loved to cry, but I held back that day."

Zhao Yang's heartfelt words made the passengers feel better, but the rainstorm weather at this time did not improve. Yang Long, the conductor of train K396, recalled, "The station notified passengers to evacuate to the lower part of the train and go to a higher place to take refuge. The community provided several rooms, but it was far from enough, so the elderly and children could only be accommodated first. Most of the crew members were exposed to the rain in the open-air square from 12 noon until 12 pm." What moved the crew members was that passengers who were sheltering indoors took out their rain gear and gave it to the crew members outside.

On the evening of August 1st, after walking for four hours, the rescue team finally found the trapped K396 train, and passengers began to be transferred in batches. Wang Yong, the captain of the Qingdao fleet of the Baotou Passenger Transport Section who came to rescue, recalled that the road that required hiking was very difficult, and the roadbed had been washed down, leaving only two steel rails with a few stone pillows. "Speaking from the bottom of my heart, I was extremely anxious because there were no signs of life as soon as I saw it falling in. The mud in the cave was over a foot thick, and as I walked, I couldn't find my shoes. I reached into my arm and pulled them out, putting them on my feet."

And the last few passengers who were seriously ill became the difficulty of transportation. "These four people are critically ill patients, and two are cancer patients who no longer have medication. We started preparing to use helicopters to pick them up, but the clouds were too thick and the helicopters couldn't land. Finally, we used excavators to lift them to a high place and transport them out," said Wang Yong.

At the same time, there are two trains trapped on Fengsha Line due to rainstorm, including K1178 train trapped in the high mountains and deep valleys of Mentougou in Beijing. Train conductor Nan Ruyu recalled, "By noon on July 31st, all the food had been used up. Seven staff members at the Yanhe City Station were starving themselves and gave the last two bags of flour to the train. The train staff made noodles from the flour and delivered them to passengers, giving priority to more than 170 key passengers such as the elderly and children."

There is also the Z180 train stranded at Anjiazhuang Station, with over 900 passengers on board, including pregnant women, children, and the elderly. "We were also afraid, so many passengers were taking our train. What would happen if there was a danger?" recalled conductor Jin Lin.

The rare rainstorm and serious disaster situation make people worried, but it is especially warm to watch and help in the rainstorm.

At 2:10 am on August 3rd, with the full organization and joint efforts of China Railway Group, local governments, and the People's Armed Police Force, the last batch of stranded passengers on three trains successfully arrived at Fengtai Station in Beijing.

Producer: Sun Zhiping

Producer: Li Jie

Director: Saina Li Jialin Sun Biao

Dubbing: Wang Shuailong

Title production: Xia Yong

Partial materials provided:

Propaganda Department of the Party Committee of China Railway Hohhot Bureau Group Company

Propaganda Department of the Party Committee of China Railway Urumqi Bureau Group Company

Propaganda Department of the Party Committee of China Railway Lanzhou Bureau Group Co., Ltd

Produced by Xinhua News Agency's audio and video department