Former army woman shines in demanding job traditionally performed by men

Qiu monitors the movement of carriages on Jan 25. (JIANG KEHONG / XINHUA)

Coupling train carriages together is one of the most physically demanding and important jobs on a railway track and has traditionally been considered a task only men can perform.

However, after retiring from the People's Liberation Army in December 2019, Qiu Lirong changed that perception. She became a dispatcher at the Shanghang Railway Station in Fujian province, and then spent nine months learning how to couple and decouple carriages and switch trains on a track. She eventually became skilled enough to shunt freight carriages on her own.

Over a 24-hour shift, Qiu completes multiple shunting operations, a task that requires her full strength. To be fit enough for the grueling work schedule, she often goes to the gym after work and has qualified as a fitness trainer.

During Spring Festival, she and her colleagues will dispatch about 200 freight trains a day. "Dispatchers are like ants on freight tracks," Qiu said. "I want to be the busiest and most hardworking of them."

Qiu decouples two carriages during a shunting task. (JIANG KEHONG / XINHUA)

Qiu Lirong completes a task during a shunting operation at the Shanghang Train Station in Fujian province on Jan 25. (JIANG KEHONG / XINHUA)

She connects equipment to the last carriage of a train. (JIANG KEHONG / XINHUA)

She disconnects a brake duct while uncoupling two carriages. (JIANG KEHONG / XINHUA)

The rail worker climbs a carriage during a coupling task. (JIANG KEHONG / XINHUA)

The dispatcher talks with a colleague during her shift. [(JIANG KEHONG / XINHUA)

Qiu sometimes works a 24-hour shift. (JIANG KEHONG / XINHUA)