Railway career captures driver's imagination for the long haul

Xue Jun. [Photo/Xinhua]

He compared the examinations for the bullet train license to China's college entrance examination, or gaokao.

"It's even more difficult than the gaokao," he said. "We have more than 500 pages of theoretical knowledge to learn."

Xue failed the examination the first time he took it.

"It's really difficult for a person like me who is over 40 years old to memorize so many theories, such as the train's structure," he said.

Psychological and etiquette training have been added to a drivers' training courses, said Xue.

Last May, his driving license for the bullet train was upgraded to one that certifies he can drive bullet trains running as fast as 350 km/h.

Xue gave special thanks to his wife for his success. "If my parents or child get sick, she won't tell me during my work time to ensure I can focus on work," said Xue.

The experienced driver feels a little sorry for his son, who works in a field unrelated to the railway system.

"I do hope he can work as a train driver, witnessing how our trains will develop in the future in the same way I did over the past three decades," he said.