Chongqing - In China’s far north, where temperatures can plummet to -50°C, one train has been braving the extreme cold for nearly half a century. Train 6245, known as the country’s northernmost public service slow train, is more than just a means of transport—it is a vital link connecting remote forest communities to the outside world.

Train 6245 departed from Jiagedaqi Station in the southern part of the Greater Khingan Mountains; it meandered gracefully through vast snow-covered forests, passing through Mohe—China’s “Arctic Town”—before finally reaching its northernmost railway outpost, Gulian Station, the northernmost terminus in the country’s rail network.

Since its maiden journey in 1978, Train 6245 has run uninterrupted for 47 years, defying extreme cold and heavy snowfall. With tickets starting at just 4 yuan (approximately $0.55), the train serves as a crucial mode of transport for forestry workers and residents and as a vital link for trade and supplies. It helps bring local forest products to the wider market while delivering essential goods, such as food and medical supplies, to remote communities.

During harsh winters when heavy snowfall cuts off road access, Train 6245 becomes the region’s most reliable public transit—an iron lifeline for China’s northernmost residents. More than just a train, it symbolizes resilience, warmth, and hope in one of the coldest inhabited regions in China.

(Zhou Junjie, as an intern, also contributed to this report.)