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By Wang Xu (China Daily)
Updated: 2008-02-02 07:42

HEFEI: The mass migration of hundreds of millions of people returning home to spend the Spring Festival with their nearest and dearest is always a trying time for Wang Peiqing, an attendant at Hefei Railway Station, but she said with no hesitation that "this year has been the most difficult".

Since Jan 19, the 39-year-old has only managed to grab intermittent snatches of sleep on the sofa in her office, as she and her colleagues are always ready and waiting to sweep snow from the station's platforms to prevent travelers from slipping.

Over the past month, the heaviest snowstorms in five decades have hit half the nation. With highways closed across the province and flights cancelled, the railway seemed to offer many the only hope of a quick journey home.

This put great pressure on the already crowded station. For a few days, the longest queue waiting for a train reached 30m. And the station now sends out more than 26,000 travelers every day, double that in previous years.

As a result, attendants like Wang have had to work overtime and can only sleep four hours at most every night. At 6am, Wang and her colleagues arrive at the waiting room, where they remain until the last train leaves at midnight.

They spend their days maintaining order in the crowded waiting room, and helping anxious travelers find their seats.

"When the day ends, we cannot even speak," said Wang in a coarse voice. The vast majority of her colleagues have to take throat medicine every day.

The cold weather not only brought snow, but also caused fevers for the attendants.

On January 20, Wang got a fever that lasted until early last week. As regular medicine could not help, she had to get an intravenous injection.

"We are just too short-handed with so many travelers rushing in. With just one more person, we could help more anxious travelers get home earlier," said Wang.

(China Daily 02/02/2008 page3)