Photos by Li Hui

A slow but cost-effective train乡亲们乘坐票价实惠的慢火车

At 07:10,November 6,2020,Train 8332 pulled out of Macheng Train Station in the Dabie Mountains slowly.It took passengers to cross the rolling mountains before arriving at Huanbin County of Xinyang City in Henan Province.It is a slow green train that stops at every small station along the busy Beijing-Kowloon Railway.

It has three compartments with cheap tickets and few passengers.Since its operation 24 years ago,it has never stopped service despite repeated changes of the railway operating schedules.This slow train harbors warmth for the people living along the route in the Dabie Mountains.

The train runs through several contiguous areas of dire poverty and helps to lift people out of poverty by promoting the tourism industry of counties along the railway,such as Macheng,Xinxian,Guangshan,Huangchuan,and Huaibin.

A slow tour in the colorful mountains

To catch Train 8332 on November 6,we arrived at Macheng from Wuhan the day before and stayed in a hotel near the train station.

Macheng Station used to be a big station in Hubei Province,but it has become less crowded since the establishment of Macheng North Station on the high-speed railway system 11 years ago.

2020年11月6日清晨7 时10分，大别山深处的麻城火车站。8332 次列车缓缓启动，载着乡亲，穿越群山，向河南淮滨驶去。这是繁忙的京九铁路线上，一趟站站停的绿皮慢火车。

只有三节车厢，票价低廉，乘客也不多，但这趟公益慢火车，从24年前京九铁路开通那天起，一直运营到今天，历经数次铁路线路调图也不曾停开，串起大别山区温暖的慢生活。

这趟列车穿行于大别山集中连片特困区，带动了沿线的麻城、新县、光山、潢川、淮滨等地的旅游业发展，脱贫攻坚工作取得显著成效。

仅三节车厢的慢火车，穿行在彩色的大别山

为了能在11月6日清晨坐上8332 次列车，5日下午，我们提前从武汉赶到麻城，住在火车站附近的一家小旅馆。

麻城站曾是京九铁路在湖北境内的大站。11年前，麻城北站开通并运营高铁线路后，麻城站冷清了不少。

6日清晨7 时前，我们踏着薄雾来到麻城站。8332 次列车只有三节车厢，和长长的站台形成“反差萌”，车身印着“公益慢火车”字样。

7 时10 分，随着一声悠长的笛声，列车缓缓启动。时值深秋，沿线的大别山层林尽染，令人赏心悦目。

8332 次列车最高时速仅100 余公里，而且站站停靠。和时速两三百公里的高铁动车相比，它是名副其实的慢火车。

在始发站上车的乘客不到10人。但沿途不断有人上车，既有旅客，也有铁路工作人员。列车长告诉记者，这趟公益慢火车在满足沿线居民出行需求的同时，还兼顾铁路员工通勤的功能。

小伙在汉打工3年，常坐这趟慢火车回家