Regular train services to Wuhan resume as epidemic ebbs
Passengers wait to get on D952.
A passenger shows his ticket to Hankou Station in Wuhan.
Passengers on D952
Wang Hu, a Chinese exchange student studying in Tokyo, boarded the D952 high-speed train at the Shanghai Railway Station early on Saturday morning. A long-awaited family reunion is just hours away in Wuhan.
"I miss my parents and sister so much," Wang told Shanghai Daily almost in tears.
He has not seen them for over a year, and the coronavirus outbreak delayed his reunion plan for months.
Daily train services from Shanghai to Wuhan resumed on Saturday, and D952 with a departure time of 8:30am was the first among nine that will run daily.
A total of 721 tickets were sold for the D952, an occupancy rate of nearly 50 percent. Among the passengers, 162 are going to Wuhan.
Wang arrived in Shanghai on March 12 and underwent 14-day quarantine at a hotel in the Pudong New Area upon arrival. His quarantine ended Thursday.
He was expected to arrive at his sister's home in Hanyang District of Wuhan around 2pm on Saturday. His parents from the city of Jingmen in Hubei Province would come later.
"I was very concerned about them during the epidemic," said Wang.
His original plan was to fly to Wuhan before the Chinese Lunar New Year, but his ticket was cancelled.
"I call my parents almost every day. They miss me very much, are looking forward to seeing me but worried about my safety at the same time," he told Shanghai Daily.
Wang originally planned to find a hotel in Shanghai after his quarantine ended, and he checked train services every day.
"When I saw the rail service would resume on Saturday, I did not hesitate," he said. "I am very excited and I am lucky."
"The epidemic is a challenge to the nation, but pain is temporary, and I have more confidence in my country now," he said.
Li Fang, a migrant worker in Shanghai, is on the same train. Her home is in Wuhan's Huangpi District.
She spent Lunar New Year at her husband's hometown in Henan Province. The family with their two-year-old baby returned to Shanghai in early March.
"My parents have been at home in isolation for two months, and I miss them very much," she told Shanghai Daily.
She used video chat to keep contact with them every day.
"I am so eager to see them now and give them a hug," she said. "It was a big challenge, but everything is getting better."
Passengers arrive at Shanghai Railway Station.
Passengers wait for the train.
