Shanghai rail group tries to help city meet needs

China Railway Shanghai Group staff have been working around the clock to ensure local residents have the daily supplies and epidemic control materials they need as the city battles the worst national outbreak of COVID-19 in two years.

To guarantee smooth operation, as well as reduce the risk of infection from the Omicron variant, many of the group's employees have remained on duty since a citywide lockdown was declared over a month ago.

Su Dongchen has not been home since March 20, as freight trains carrying daily supplies and epidemic prevention materials from other provinces continue to arrive in Shanghai during the difficult period.

"It's my job to make sure cargo trains keep running. I'm duty-bound to remain on standby, because residents need the goods they are bringing, like vegetables and protective materials," he said.

To meet the urgent needs of residents, the group has stepped up freight transport. Train driver Qu Zhiyong transports daily essentials and epidemic prevention supplies.

"We drivers mustn't get infected, because we're transporting supplies that save lives," he said.

Qu emphasized that safety is the top priority, and added that train drivers have been ordered not to leave the station while loading and unloading supplies.

"In general, it takes four or five hours for the loading, but sometimes it can be over 10 hours," he said. "My longest wait was almost 18 hours."

According to the China Railway Shanghai Group, 2,054 trains carrying 64,384 metric tons of epidemic prevention materials and daily supplies were sent to Shanghai between April 1 and 16.