Leafy trees along Nanjing 'tunnel of love' face possible uprooting

People take photos at the "Love tunnel" in Nanjing on Aug 22, 2014. "Love tunnel" is a term that refers to a natural arch tree corridor on the Ukrainian railway route. Recently, a same kind of arch was discovered in Nanjing and is known as the Chinese "Love tunnel". [Photo/IC]

While walking along the leafy green tunnel in Nanjing's Jiangning district is like entering a fairytale, a possible decision to tear down the trees could bring the story to a pitiful end.

Yuntaishan Pyrites, a company that manages the railway section, said the trees will be removed to ensure safety of passing trains.

Dubbed the "tunnel of love" due to thousands of couples flocking there to make wishes and take photos, arches of trees grow freely over the line.

However, it's not an official scenic spot and a passage for trains remains its main function, which has caused problems, according to an employee surnamed Chen, responsible for line supervision.

Tourists congest the railway route and pose potential risks to trains, while too few employees are present to maintain order. Chen said that trains have to sometimes break for tourists standing on the line to take photos.

Also, few public facilities such as toilets and trash cans are in place, forcing people to pollute the environment.

Yuntaishan Pyrites said the company is afraid of possible accidents and wants to bring down the trees to keep the area clean.

Locals have been grieving the news, with some even travelling from afar at night to visit the site.

Hu Ziyu, taking a walk with his wife, said that instead of resorting to such extreme means, the authority should come up with a way to preserve the green corridor while also improving the safety of both people and trains.