Practice makes perfect for 'doctor of the rails'

Track maintenance becomes vital to passenger safety as more trains use high-speed network

Ji Fengyun, (right), a worker at the track maintenance center of Jinan Western Station, checks equipment along the railway line. [Photo by Ju Chuangjiang/chinadaily.com.cn]

Deep in the night, a team of eight men walk slowly along a railroad, the lights from their safety helmets looking like fireflies in the inky blackness.

Ji Fengyun and seven other workers walk 6 kilometers along the Beijing-to-Shanghai high-speed railroad from 12:30 to 4:30 am, Monday through Friday. They are tasked with detecting flaws and defects in the rail tracks, using sophisticated ultrasonic equipment.

The 44-year-old is based at the track maintenance center of Jinan Western Station. He is originally from Tai'an, 85 km away, and started the job in 1992.

At first he couldn't understand the textbooks and manuals on rail flaw detection because he only had a junior high school education.

"The patterns and numbers were just mumbo-jumbo to me," Ji recalled.

But he set himself the task of learning mathematics and physics, and applying the theories to practical situations.

"Practice makes perfect," Ji said. "Experience is very important."

With 22 years of experience, Ji is regarded as an expert by his colleagues.

"We are the doctors of the rails," he said.

As China's high-speed rail network expands and more trains use the rail lines, the need for skilled track maintenance workers grows.

"Experienced rail flaw detection workers like Ji are in demand because the increasing number of trains using high-speed rail lines might cause changes to the rails," said Zhou Bin, deputy Party chief of the track maintenance center of Jinan Western Station.

That skill and experience are reflected in a monthly salary some 300 yuan ($50) higher than that of other workers, said Zhou. The track maintenance center also pays a reward to those workers who detect flaws in the track.

"Workers who find a serious flaw will receive 500 yuan, and 200 yuan for a minor flaw," he said.

Ji said the most important thing for a flaw detection worker to bear in mind is safety.

"A flaw the size of a grain of millet will cause a gap in the track," he said. "As a rail worker, you just cannot afford any kind of flaw in the track. I get nervous every time I hear that a train was delayed."

Ji's dedication to his work also extends to his colleagues.

"I hope every member in my group becomes an expert as soon as possible and committed to flaw detection work," Ji said.

zhaoruixue@chinadaily.com.cn