Chartered trains help Chinese workers return to work

China has arranged sets of chartered trains to help workers return to work in a safe and orderly manner amid the fight against the novel coronavirus.

The China State Railway Group Co Ltd has sent 29 customized trains and transported over 30,000 workers since Feb. 16 with another 73 trains ready to leave within the next few days.

Most of the trains are bound for the country's manufacturing hubs such as Guangdong, Zhejiang and Shanghai.

The railway operator has arranged trains on the demand of local human resources authorities and firms and implemented "point-to-point" services tailored for departure and destination stations with heavy traffic, said Huang Xin, head of the company's passenger transport department.

To reduce mass gatherings, the company also set up a "green channel" to fast-track check-ins and security inspections while making scattered seating arrangement and stepping up temperature measurement to contain potential infection, Huang said.