Gansu's mini-train has a big job

During this year's Spring Festival travel rush, a mini-train whose locomotive pulls only one carriage captured the attention of netizens.

The No 57061/57062 commuter train, operated by China Railway Lanzhou Bureau Group, runs between Dunhuang city and Aksay Kazak autonomous county in Northwest China's Gansu province. Covering 252 kilometers in around 4 hours, it stops at 11 stations along the way, four of which have staff members stationed.

With much of its route passing through the uninhabited and desert areas, the train, running only on Fridays, has become the sole transportation option for over 100 railway workers, including station employees, maintenance crews and signal operators.

Beyond carrying railway workers to their posts, it also delivers food, daily necessities and construction materials to stations along the route.