African Trainees Learn to Drive a Train with Chinese ‘Shifu’ in Henan

African Trainees Learn to Drive a Train with Chinese ‘Shifu’ in Henan

非洲学员跟着中国师傅学开火车

 

“I am from Ethiopia and learning how to drive a train in China with my Chinese ‘shifu’ (master).” On June 5, a trainee from Ethiopia introduced himself briefly in his broken Chinese during an interview by Henan-based dahe.cn. As one of the 34 trainees from Ethiopia and Djibouti, he came to Zhengzhou on October 27 last year for electric locomotive training. After a seven-month theoretical course, he will take a practical course soon with his fellow trainees.

大河网讯 “我来自埃塞俄比亚，我在中国学开火车。”6月5日，在接受大河网记者采访时，一位来自埃塞俄比亚的学员用不太流利的中文简单地进行着自我介绍。他是去年10月27日来到中国郑州接受驾驶电力机车培训的埃塞俄比亚和吉布提籍34名火车司机中的一员，在经过7个月的理论课程后，他就要和同伴进行实践课程了。

African trainees are learning driving skills carefully. [Photo provided to dahe.cn]

The railway between Addis Ababa and Djibouti, the first electric railway in East Africa, connects Addis Ababa (capital of Ethiopia) and Djibouti (capital of Djibouti). Adopting a full set of Chinese equipment and being built under Chinese standards, the total length of this railway reaches 751.7 km, with the designed speed of 120 km/h. Playing a significant role in the “Belt and Road” construction, it has become a milestone for China’s railway standard to “go global”.

亚吉铁路是连接埃塞俄比亚和吉布提两国首都的亚的斯亚贝巴-吉布提铁路，是东非第一条电气化铁路，全部采用中国标准和中国装备建设而成，全长751.7公里，设计时速120公里，是中国铁路标准“走出去”的里程碑，在“一带一路”建设史上具有重要意义。

African trainees are very studious, some of whom are fast learners. [Photo provided to dahe.cn]

Addis Ababa-Djibouti Railway was built totally based on Chinese standards, including technical specification, equipment procurement, construction supervision and operation management. Therefore, mastering China’s railway regulations and driving skills has become a “compulsory course” for these would-be train drivers.

由于亚吉铁路是集中国技术标准、设备采购、施工监理和运营管理于一体的“中国化”铁路项目，因此熟练掌握中国铁路行车规章、驾驶技能等就成为这些准火车司机的“必修课”。

To make full preparations for the practical operation, Zhengzhou Locomotive Depot of China Railway Zhengzhou Group Co., Ltd contacted Zhengzhou Railway Vocational & Technical College in advance and formulated a comprehensive internship programme focusing on 19 topics such as internship preparation and anti-pandemic measures.

中国铁路郑州局集团有限公司郑州机务段为做好外籍朋友的上车实习工作，提前联系郑州铁路职业技术学院，围绕实习准备等19项内容重点制定乘务实习方案。

African trainees are learning driving skills in China. [Photo provided to dahe.cn]

“Before their practical operation on the train, we often hold competitions on rules reciting at the intervals.” Wei Peng, an instructor for passenger transport at Zhengzhou Locomotive Depot, remarked that, “Some trainees could recite technical rules in English as fluently as our experienced drivers who have been driving for more than ten years!”

“在学员们上车实习前，我们利用出勤后的间隙举办默背规章比赛。”郑州机务段客运车间教育专职韦鹏说，“有些学员用英语背诵技术规章的流畅程度，都能和我们跑十几年车的老司机有一比嘞！”

 

“They are very studious, some of whom are fast learners, eager to learn and always ask questions. Before practical operation on the train, they have learned relevant theories systematically and participated in the simulated driving for many times,” said Xue Jinqiu, a headteacher at Zhengzhou Railway Vocational & Technical College.

“他们都非常好学，有的学生学习能力很强，有的勤学好问，主动要求老师再多讲一些。在进行乘务实习课程前，我们都对他们进行了系统的理论知识讲解以及多次模拟驾驶训练，学员们表现都很优秀。”郑州铁路职业技术学院的班主任薛晋秋告诉记者。

African trainees have learned relevant theories systematically before practical operation. [Photo provided to dahe.cn]

“China, my good friend!” After the practice on the train (K742) from Zhengzhou to Shangqiu, the trainees were talking in English with their “driver teachers”. After the training, not only will they become the first batch of electric locomotive drivers on the cross-border railway lines of Ethiopia, but also the promoters spreading China’s railway standards to the world and the native spokesperson for the Belt and Road Initiative in Africa.

“China，好哥们！”在经过K742郑州至商丘区间跟车实践后，学员们一边伸着大拇指，一边用英语和教他们的火车司机进行交流。学成归国后，他们将成为埃塞俄比亚首批跨国铁路上的电力机车司机，成为中国铁路标准走向世界的推进者，更是“一带一路”倡议扎根非洲大陆的代言人。（记者/祝传鹏 翻译/赵汉青 实习生/朱清远 审校/张玉红）