Female rail worker switches roles

Qiu monitors the movement of carriages on Jan 25. [Photo by Jiang Kehong/Xinhua]

Former army woman shines in demanding job traditionally performed by men

Coupling train carriages together is one of the most physically demanding and important jobs on a railway track and has traditionally been considered a task only men can perform.

However, after retiring from the People's Liberation Army in December 2019, Qiu Lirong changed that perception. She became a dispatcher at the Shanghang Railway Station in Fujian province, and then spent nine months learning how to couple and decouple carriages and switch trains on a track. She eventually became skilled enough to shunt freight carriages on her own.

Over a 24-hour shift, Qiu completes multiple shunting operations, a task that requires her full strength. To be fit enough for the grueling work schedule, she often goes to the gym after work and has qualified as a fitness trainer.

During Spring Festival, she and her colleagues will dispatch about 200 freight trains a day. "Dispatchers are like ants on freight tracks," Qiu said. "I want to be the busiest and most hardworking of them."