Trains bound for Europe converge in Inner Mongolia

Feng Zhiping checks the status of a train at the Ereenhot railway station of China Railway Hohhot Group in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region. [Photo by Zhang Haifeng/For chinadaily.com.cn]

Feng Zhiping, 32, has witnessed the rapid increase in China-Europe freight trains passing through the Ereenhot Port in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, where 68 China-Europe freight train routes now converge, connecting more than 60 regions in 10 countries.

Feng has been doing yard work at the Ereenhot railway station of China Railway Hohhot Group for 10 years. As leader of a work group for switching operations at the station, Feng and four companions shuttle between inbound and outbound trains every day, organizing cars into complete trains.

Feng Zhiping checks the status of a train at the Ereenhot railway station of China Railway Hohhot Group in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region. [Photo by Zhang Haifeng/For chinadaily.com.cn]

The Ereenhot Port is the largest land port on the China-Mongolia border. In recent years, with the increase of China-Europe freight trains passing through, the work of Feng and his fellows has also increased. For each shift, they walk an average of more than 20,000 steps.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative. Feng said he is proud as he has been working there for 10 years and has witnessed the development.

Since the first China-Europe train passed through in 2013, the Ereenhot station has facilitated more than 12,400 of them.