Slow train's vintage charms attract young passengers

The conductors aboard Train No 7053 always tell the passengers to prepare for the next stop, but there's really no need to hurry.

The train, which runs between the eastern Chinese cities of Zibo and Taishan, travels at an average speed of 32 kilometers per hour and makes 23 stops on a route of less than 200 km. It is one of the slowest trains in Shandong province, if not the country.

"It runs so slowly that passengers can see clearly through the windows the fruit on the trees and farmers working in the fields far away," said Zhao Xinhua, the chief conductor.