CHONGQING, May 2 (Xinhua) -- Roaming about the city might be a pleasant hobby for some, yet for one group of people in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, it is a serious business.
Wang Daohuai, a 35-year-old staffer at Chongqing Rail Transit Co., Ltd., described himself as a "city walker." He needs to walk over 10 km every day along the rails in order to ensure the safe operation of urban rail transit.
The rail transit network in Chongqing facilitates more than just citizens' urban commute, as it also serves as a popular tourist spot. Tourists often come to Liziba Station of Line 2 to take pictures of the magic view of trains passing through a building.
This gives great meaning to Wang's work. "It's not only about protecting transportation safety, but also safeguarding Chongqing's tourism reputation," said Wang.
Most of the time, Wang's job seems simple and dull. However, by spotting and preventing dangerous activities, such as drilling or illegal construction, a single move can protect the safety of millions of people.
In 2021, the passenger flow volume of Chongqing's rail transit network totaled 1.1 billion, with a daily average volume of 3.4 million, according to the municipal commission of housing and urban-rural development. The total length of Chongqing's rail transit network reached 400 km last year and is set to exceed 500 km this year.
Wang's team is more than 200 strong, and together they walk more than 1,200 km a day. Since two people walk as a team and at least 156 people are walking every day, the daily average distance covered by each team member is over 10 km.
Sometimes they walk under rail bridges overgrown with weeds, while sometimes they walk in the bustling downtown area, threading their way through the crowd.
Wang stressed that they do not walk on certain days, but every day, whether in chilly winter or scorching summer.
"Chongqing's summer temperature can reach 40 degrees Celsius and Chongqing is a mountainous city. So, walking is sometimes like climbing. We normally need to prepare two or three spare shirts to change into," said Wang.
For Wang, he is more than just a guardian of the rail network, but also a witness to the city's development.
"Sometimes, the new lines are built in suburban areas and the surrounding area is very barren. However, many new buildings will shoot up once the line's construction is finished," said Wang.
In 2017, CNN used a photo of Line 6's newly built Caojiawan Station to claim that China's economy was falling apart, pointing to the station's isolated location. However, three years later, the surrounding environment had changed completely, with numerous new buildings now dominating the landscape.
Since Wang has always used his camera to document the rail lines during his work, he has also collected many pictures to reflect such changes.
"Chongqing has its own unique development method, namely that urban construction follows the rail transit lines," he said. "Therefore, rail transit lines can reveal both the development of the transportation network and the city's modernization level." ■
