Passengers rest at a waiting room at Beijing West Railway Station, Feb 2, 2016. (Photo: China Daily/Zou Hong)
On peak days during the Spring Festival travel rush, more than 220,000 people traverse Beijing West Railway Station every day.
Wang Linna, a 32-year-old attendant from Beijing, said her waiting room is always packed.
"Even on New Year's Eve, the room is full of passengers waiting to go home," she said. "On their faces, I could see the happiness and the eagerness of going home."
Wang has rarely celebrated the holiday with her family since she started working at the station in 2002, but she enjoys helping others on their way.
"Even though I couldn't go home, I could feel the atmosphere of the festival in the waiting room," she said. "I am very lucky that my families are very supportive. They know that I am doing my work and I need to spend the festival in waiting room."
Two weeks ahead of the festival, a 90-year-old passenger came to Wang's waiting room, accompanied by her children, all in their 60s.
"The 90-year-old mother was in a very poor health. She barely could set up, but insisted on going home," Wang said. "We sent her to the sleeping berth with a wheelchair and had our staff on the train take special care for her."
For senior and disabled passengers, the station has special service and equipment, including wheelchairs and stretchers. "They don't have to wait in lines. The staff will take them directly to their coach before other passengers start to board," Wang said.
In order to deal with the season's increased travel demands, the station has halved the staff's lunch break to 15 minutes. Wang said she and her colleagues always take turns to eat, so there's always staff in the waiting room to help.
