A tourist scans the payment QR code to pay for the figs he bought from vendor Yimamamat Saipar onboard the train No. 7557. — Xinhua photo KUNMING (Feb 3): With a wooden pole resting on her shoulder to help carry two wicker baskets of vegetables, rural vendor Zhao Shuying boards the No.
5652 train with its old-fashioned green livery, heading for a nearby city to sell her fresh produce. Unlike the sleek, silver-white bullet trains commonly seen on China’s railways, the retro-looking No.5652 train operates at a lower speed, and departs from Kunming, capital of southwest China’s Yunnan Province, on a journey of 261 km, which terminates in neighboring Guizhou Province.
However, this relatively slow train offers a much lower price compared with the speedy bullet trains. The most expensive ticket on the No.5652 train costs only 36.
5 yuan (about 5 U.S. dollars), while the cheapest fare is just 6 yuan.
For Zhao and rural vendors like her, who get off in the city of Qujing with baskets on their shoulders or backs, the green train offers a very cost-effective ride to a bustling market where they can sell fresh produce at a better price, especially with the Spring Festival drawing near. “We all take the slow train to get here,” said Zhao in an interview with Xinhua, while pointing to vendors beside her. “Thanks to a favorable policy in the market, we set up our stalls free of charge, while our products sell pretty fast here at a higher price.
” As one of the green trains oper.