Tibetan New Year of a train attendant
On the second day of the Tibetan New Year, every household began to visit relatives and friends, toasting each other with a glass of highland barley wine and sending New Year’s greetings and blessings. Their faces are brimming with happiness.
The 37-year-old Karma Dakyi also sent blessings to his relatives and friends. After finishing, he put on his work clothes and brought the “kasai” (a kind a pastry made of flour, butter, etc.) made by his family to the vehicle maintenance base in Liuwu New District, Lhasa. “It is the peak season for passengers to travel during the festival, and we railway workers must strictly implement the operating standards.” Karma Dakyi said, “As a train attendant, we must use the parking time to conduct a comprehensive inspection of the train to ensure that it leaves without any malfunction.”
Karma Dakyi is a train attendant in the Lhasa train operation workshop of Xining Depot, mainly responsible for the train from Lhasa to Nyingchi. Born in Chamdo city, east Tibet Autonomous Region, he has been obsessed with train toys since he was a child. In 2002, he entered the Lanzhou Railway Machinery School for study. In 2006, the Qinghai-Tibet Railway was opened to traffic, and Karma Dakyi became an employee on the Qinghai-Tibet Railway and joined the Xining Depot.
After continuous hard study and practical work, in 2015, Karma Dakyi became a train attendant on the train from Lhasa to Shigatse.
In June 2021, the Lhasa-Nyingchi Railway was put into operation. After selection, Karma Dakyi began his duty on the first passenger train from Lhasa to Nyingchi.
“I hope the Sichuan-Tibet Railway can be opened to traffic as soon as possible, and I also hope I can have the opportunity to take duty on the train from Lhasa to Chamdo, so that I can take my parents to Lhasa on the train.” Speaking of his New Year’s wishes, Karma Dakyi was very excited.
After checking the train, the Z8901 train slowly drove out of Lhasa Station. With his New Year wishes, Karma Dakyi started the journey again.