Ningguo Station: An Old Station About to Disappear, Can Its Passenger Service Last Until the High-Speed Rail Opens?

The Wannan–Jiangxi Railway is a major freight corridor in East China, prioritizing freight with passenger service as secondary. Since the railway passenger transport schedule adjustment in 2006, the passenger service on the Wannan–Jiangxi Railway has gradually declined. With the popularization of high-speed rail passenger transport, the passenger service on this line is nearing its end. From a peak of nearly 20 pairs of passenger trains to the current 3 pairs, it signals the end of the railway's decades-long passenger mission. Fortunately, high-speed rail construction along this line is in full swing. Ningguo City, located on the Wannan–Jiangxi Railway, is the second most economically powerful city along the line after Wuhu. Currently, only three trains stop here for passenger service. Although Ningguo will enter the high-speed rail era by 2023, can the old Ningguo Station's passenger service last until the high-speed rail opens? Let's take a look at the current situation of Ningguo Station!

Ningguo is a transitional zone between the mountainous area of southern Anhui and the plains, connecting the Tianmu, Huangshan, and Jiuhua mountain ranges with key towns in the lower Yangtze River plain. With diverse terrain and an excellent environment, along with a historical background of mixed populations from various regions, Ningguo's economic development stands out. Compared with county-level cities in the southern Anhui region, in terms of administrative rank, resource endowment, and transport conditions, Ningguo's economic development can be considered a miracle, second only to the urban area of Wuhu along the entire Wannan–Jiangxi Railway. However, due to historical influences and objective constraints, Ningguo's railway construction has been deteriorating. Fortunately, starting this year, the construction of the Ningguo high-speed rail has entered a substantive phase, with completion expected by 2023. Yet the existing old Ningguo Railway Station is also a matter of concern. In terms of economic strength and passenger demand, Ningguo's railway passenger demand is likely second only to Wuhu. This is the current state of the station building at Ningguo Station on the Wannan–Jiangxi Railway.

Ningguo Station is located at the northeastern corner of Helixi Street, nominally a third-class passenger station, mainly consisting of a waiting hall and a ticket office. Ten years ago, most stations along the Wannan–Jiangxi Railway were of a similar scale to Ningguo Station. However, ten years later, most cities along the Wannan–Jiangxi Railway have access to high-speed rail, while Ningguo Station still maintains its appearance from over a decade ago. This has become an obstacle to the city's development and has severely impacted Ningguo's external economic development, especially in terms of external communication and economic and trade cooperation, where it appears inadequate.

Currently, only three trains stop at Ningguo Station, making it the second smallest station along the Wannan–Jiangxi Railway after Qimen Station. Some say the reason for few stops is low passenger flow? Of course not! Before the pandemic, the waiting hall at Ningguo Station was always full, sometimes even blocking the security check passage. It can be imagined that the passenger flow at Ningguo Station is still significant. With only three regular-speed trains per day, how can an annual passenger flow of hundreds of thousands be satisfied? This is a photo of the waiting hall at Ningguo Station taken on September 21, 2019, before the pandemic.

Earlier, affected by the pandemic, the Wannan–Jiangxi Railway was suspended for several months. Shortly after resuming passenger service, the rainy season hit, and due to flood season risks, passenger service was suspended again. Finally, on September 28 this year, passenger service resumed. Unfortunately, during the third-quarter passenger transport schedule adjustment, the number of trains on the Wannan–Jiangxi Railway was further reduced from 5 pairs to 3 pairs, with 1.5 pairs stopping at Ningguo Station. During the period without passenger service at Ningguo Station, people relied on private cars, carpooling, and intercity buses to reach Xuancheng High-Speed Rail Station or Jixi High-Speed Rail Station to transfer to high-speed trains to their destinations. For the people of Ningguo, travel is currently the biggest issue. The contradiction between outdated railway passenger service and passenger demand has given rise to the rare intercity taxi business in southern Anhui. On the first day of the resumption of service on the Wannan–Jiangxi Railway, the passenger flow at Ningguo Station was not very high, but compared to Jixi County Station, it was already quite good.

The railway company, using big data, learned about the contradiction between capacity and demand at Ningguo Station. Through efforts, they arranged for the T154 train from Nanjing to Guangzhou to provide passenger service at Ningguo Station. Together with the round-trip trains from Huangshan to Hefei, there are a total of three trains. Although the number of trains is small, having stops on one hand meets passenger demand as much as possible, and on the other hand ensures that Ningguo Station does not close down. With passenger flow data from Ningguo Station, there will be a reference for the number of future high-speed trains stopping at Ningguo Station. Since September 2020, Ningguo Station has implemented electronic tickets, allowing passengers to enter and exit with just their ID cards, facilitating travel for passengers.

After entering Ningguo Station, I prepared to take a train to Jixi County and found the station to be as old and dilapidated as stations from decades ago. It is hard to believe that in the Yangtze River Delta region of Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Shanghai, and Anhui, there is still such a county-level station. At least Ningguo is the best self-developed county-level city in Anhui, and the appearance of this train station completely defies my imagination. Fortunately, in three years, Ningguo will enter the high-speed rail era. For a city with economic benefits, the railway department will not turn a blind eye. Therefore, the future of railway passenger transport in Ningguo is promising!

Scheduled to arrive at Ningguo Station at 11:04 and depart at 11:09, the K8381 train from Hefei to Huangshan uses the same carriages as the train from Beijing West to Huangshan. Since Huangshan Station cannot service the carriages, the carriages for the Huangshan-to-Beijing trains need to be serviced at Hefei Station. Hence, the K8381 and K8382 trains from Hefei to Huangshan were introduced between the K1109 and K1110 trains from Huangshan to Beijing. This lucky gave Ningguo Station two trains. With the railway company's consideration for Ningguo Station, the T154 train also stops for passenger service, giving Ningguo Station three trains. This way, Ningguo Station will not be closed. This is the situation of the K8381 train stopping at Ningguo Station on the noon of September 29. The number of passengers getting on and off was fewer than usual, but it was still reasonable compared to other stations on the Wannan–Jiangxi Railway.

More people got off the train at Ningguo Station, leaving the carriages relatively empty, indicating that the passenger flow on the Wannan–Jiangxi Railway line is not ideal. Generally, Wuhu Station and Ningguo Station along the Wannan–Jiangxi Railway have greater passenger flow, so it is necessary to build an intercity railway from Wuhu to Ningguo to Hangzhou in the future. Currently, with three trains stopping at Ningguo Station, passenger flow is relatively guaranteed. But how many trains will stop after the next schedule adjustment? Can Ningguo Station survive until the high-speed rail opens in 2023? Before that, does Ningguo Station face the risk of closing down? Share your thoughts!