On the morning of July 29, as the X8020 China Railway Express (CRE) departed from Yiwu West Station to Madrid, the cumulative number of CRE trains in 2023 reached 10,000. This number was reached 22 days earlier than last year and connotes the delivery of 1.083 million TEUs delivered, registering an increase of 27%.

The X8020 was loaded with 110 TEUs, including small commodities, automobile parts, electric bicycles, and photovoltaic modules, among others. The train will pass through Alashankou Port in Xinjiang and is expected to arrive in Madrid in 21 days.

Due to the long distances they travel, CRE trains are managed like a relay races. “I run the first and last leg of the China Railway Express,” proudly explained Huang Wei, the chief dispatcher of the China Railway Express at the Hangzhou Locomotive Depot. It has been 27 years since Mr. Huang entered the Hangzhou Locomotive Depot as a train driver. With the opening of the CRE, he became a driver of CRE trains.

He coordinates with professional and technical personnel from multiple departments. After confirming that the relevant equipment is in good condition and absolutely safe, he drives the locomotive to gather the scattered cargo carriages in the freight yard, and then pulls them to Yiwu West Station, where the freight trains are parked. After specifying the location, the convoy is pulled out by a freight locomotive with higher traction power, and the relay starts toward the final destination.

The Yiwu West Railway Station has always been one of the busiest stations on the Shanghai-Kunming Line. In recent years, the frequency of CRE trains has been increasing, and ensuring the safety and on-time operation of the trains is the top priority in Huang’s work.

“I have to carefully do a ‘full-body check’ for the locomotive every time I prepare for a ride. Only after repeatedly confirming that the locomotive is in good condition can I set off with peace of mind,” Mr. Huang said.

“As more and more goods are sent off from Yiwu to other parts of the world through the CRE trains, the quality of Chinese goods is getting better and better,” affirmed Mr. Huang. While at the beginning he only regarded this job as a way to make a living, now, as he sees a steady stream of goods leaving the country and reaching the world through the railway line, he feels extremely proud.

“When I retire, I want to go to the place where the China Railway Express ends, follow its footprints, and see how big the world is,” promised Mr. Huang. (By Chen Wei, English text edited by Kendra Fiddler)

　7月29日上午，随着X8020次中欧班列从义乌西站缓缓开出，前往西班牙马德里，今年中欧班列累计开行已达10000列，较去年提前22天破万列，发送货物108.3万标准箱，同比增长27%。

　　这趟班列满载110标准箱，货物包含小商品、汽车配件、电动自行车、光伏组件等。班列将从新疆阿拉山口口岸出境，预计21天后到达马德里。

　　驾驶中欧班列，就像是一场接力跑。由于路途遥远，从浙江义乌始发的中欧班列到达国境线前，并不是由固定的火车司机和机车牵引到底，而是由班列所经过的铁路局负责人员轮换。

　　“我跑的是中欧班列的第一棒和最后一棒。”这是杭州机辆段中欧班列调机司机长黄伟最引以为豪的。

　　黄伟自1993年进入杭州机辆段(原杭州机务段)从事火车司机工作，至今已有27年。随着中欧班列的开行，他成为了一名中欧班列司机。这次第10000万列中欧班列的开行，黄伟依旧承担这份工作。

　　他需要与多部门专业技术人员通力协作，在确认线路设备状况良好、绝对安全的情况下，驾驶机车将货场内零散分布的货物车厢编组成列，然后牵引至义乌西站，货物列车停放在站内指定位置后，交由牵引功率更大的货运机车牵引出场，接力驶向目的地。

　　要做一名合格的中欧班列司机并不是一件容易的事情。

　　义乌西站一直以来都是沪昆线上最为繁忙的车站之一。近年来中欧班列开行频次日益增加，保障班列安全准点开行是他工作的重中之重。

　　“每次出乘前我都要仔细地为机车做一番‘全身体检’，只有再三确认机车状态良好以后，才能安心出发。”黄伟告诉潮新闻记者，清洁、油润、自检自修……多年来，他的检车技能陪伴着中欧班列的货运量一起成长。

　　“随着通过中欧班列从义乌发往世界各地的货物越来越多，这也意味着中国商品质量越来越好。”黄伟表示，之前自己只是把这份工作当成谋生的职业，现在看到源源不断的商品通过铁道线走出国门，走向世界，作为中欧班列接力跑的第一棒司机，感到无比骄傲和自豪。

　　“等我退休了，我想去中欧班列抵达的地方看看，沿着它的足迹，看看世界之大、祖国之强盛。”黄伟说。（来源： 潮新闻 作者： 记者 陈薇 龚书弘）