Shiliuyun-Xinjiang Daily (Reporter Song Weiguo) news: There is a train route that is 1,960 kilometers long and takes 32 hours and 49 minutes to complete. The minimum ticket price for a train ride is four yuan(about 0.55 U.S. dollars).

Between Xinjiang's Urumqi City and Hotan City, there are No. 7556/7557 frequencies and No. 7558/7555 frequencies that run opposite each other every day. These are currently the trains with the longest running time and lowest fare in Xinjiang.

A public-service local train running to Hotan

"It only takes four yuan from Hotan station to Moyu station. There are 23 stops on the route from Urumqi to Hotan. People of all ethnic groups can sell their agricultural and sideline products on the train," said Polathan, chief conductor of train No. 7558.

Photo taken on may 27, 2024 shows Polathan (second from left) helps a passenger promote merchandise. (Photo by Shiliuyun-Xinjiang Daily/ Song Weiguo)

The train bagan operating in June 2012, initially running between Kashi and Urumqi stations. On October 1, 2016, the route for train No. 7556/7557 was extended from Kashi station to Hotan station, and Polathan was appointed as the chief conductor of the train.

"Bazaar" on a train

"The idea for a "bazaar" on the train came from a local villager," Polathan recalled. One day in early 2020, Polathan, who was on duty aboard the train, met an old man with several woven bags.

"Why do you take so many stuff?" Polatkhan asked.

"My walnuts harvest at home, but there aren't many merchants to buy them in the village, I heard that there are many bazaars in the counties near Kashi, so I plan to take these walnuts to the bazaars to sell," The old man replied.

When the train arrived at Kashi station, the old man got off the train, but Polathan kept his words in his mind. "Since there are villagers taking the train to go to bazaars, why can't we set up a "bazaar" on the train?" Poratkhan had this idea as he looked at the passengers on the train from different places.

Polathan shared the idea with several crew members on the train, and they all agreed. Every time they were on duty, they met many villagers like that old man who went to bazaars. "It's very meaningful to help them sell agricultural and sideline products on the train," said Mayira Samat, a conductor on the train.

Photo shows Polathan introduces to passengers. (Photo by Wu Yaobang)

Polathan reported his idea to the head of the Korla passenger service section of China Railway Urumqi Group Co., Ltd., and planned to set up a train “bazaar” on frequencies No. 7556/7557 and 7558/7555, allowing villagers to sell products on trains and broadening their channels of income. The idea received strong support from the group, and in July 2020, the train bazaar opened.

In order to let more villagers benefit from the train bazaar, Polathan took Mayira, using their spare times visit along the route, including the counties of Yarkant, Poskam, Kargilik and Qira, as long as they heard any villager selling local characteristics of agricultural and sideline products, they would visit.

Gradually, there were more and more villagers on the train bazaar, and the commodities became more and more abundant, expanding from the original walnuts, red dates, and badam to handicrafts from Hotan, red dates from Moyu County, clothes from Pishan County, cherries from Yarkant County, and fig paste from Artux City. The train has carried more and more agricultural and sideline products and handicrafts along the route, bringing more income to villagers.

According to statistics, since the opening of the train bazaar in 2020, it has sold more than 1.8 million yuan (about 248,430.6 U.S. dollars) worth of various agricultural and sideline products.

"There are many passengers on the train, who are willing to buy our products, and we don't need to pay booth fees." The train has carried us to the destination of getting rid of poverty," said Mathiasen Azer, a villager from Akaxin village, Bostan township in Qira County, Hotan Prefecture, Xinjiang.

Upgrading services

Since the opening of the train bazaar, various services have been upgraded, such as opening a WeChat public account, making an exclusive QR code, and live streaming...

Photo shows Diliyar Pirdon (M), a railway police officer, invites passengers to taste cherries. (Photo by Wu Longhui)

Police officer Diliyar Pirdon is from the Korla Public Security Bureau of Urumqi Railway Public Security Bureau, and he has been working on the train for five years.

"Now, as long as I work at the train bazaar, while maintaining the order of the train, I also take some cash, so that passengers who do not know how to use mobile payments can change some cash when shopping," Diliyar said.

"Since this year, Korla passenger service section and Hotan No. 2 team, normal No.2 team, and No. 7 team responsible for the frequencies No. 7556/7557 and No. 7558/7555 have also been offering services, in the future, we want to recommend more high-quality agricultural products from southern Xinjiang to passengers all over the world," said Liu Zhanhong, Party branch secretary of the Korla passenger section and Hotan No. 2 team of the China Railway Urumqi Bureau Group Co., Ltd.

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