A member of the train staff helps a farmer load her goods onto the train on Oct 5. [Photo by Yang Zixuan/For chinadaily.com.cn]
Carriages on two slow trains in Yunnan province have been renovated and upgraded, with half of the space now dedicated to allowing local farmers along the route to transport their agricultural goods.
China Railway Kunming Group has recently revamped the hard-seat carriages of trains 7466 and 5652 to better accommodate the daily travel and agricultural sales needs of residents along their routes.
Local farmers transport their agricultural goods on a train on Oct 5 in Yunnan province. [Photo by Yang Zixuan/For chinadaily.com.cn]
One half of the carriage maintains standard passenger seating to serve the daily commuting needs of locals and tourists. The other half is configured with open space, equipped with long benches and scales to create space for farmers to transport and sell their fruits, vegetables, and mountain specialties.
Fresh produce is neatly displayed inside the train carriage on Oct 5. [Photo by Yang Zixuan/For chinadaily.com.cn]
For over a decade, Tang Qiaozhen, a vegetable farmer, has been a regular passenger on train 5652, which travels from Kunming Railway Station in Yunnan to Hongguo Railway Station in Guizhou province. She described the ticket prices as affordable, making it a practical choice for her travels.
Travelers buy agricultural goods on a train on Oct 5 in Yunnan province. [Photo by Yang Zixuan/For chinadaily.com.cn]
"In the past, I always worried that my baskets filled with pumpkins, bell peppers, and wild mushrooms would block the aisles and inconvenience other passengers," she said. "Now, with these specially designed carriages, I no longer have to jostle with other passengers or rearrange my baskets to make space for others. It's both convenient and reassuring."
A member of the train staff helps a farmer recommend agricultural products to a passenger on Oct 5. [Photo by Yang Zixuan/For chinadaily.com.cn]
Many villagers, like Tang, head to the mountains before dawn to gather produce, which they then transport by train to the morning market in the nearby town. This allows them to earn significantly more than selling their goods in the village. Nowadays, some produce sells out before the train even reaches town.
