Male stewards a welcome sight for rail travelers_美文

Male stewards a welcome sight for rail travelers

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Xu Yifeng, 29, works for a private company and travels frequently on business trips from Changsha, capital of Hunan province, to Beijing, preferring to take the high-speed G69 train over airplanes or other modes of transportation.

"I really appreciate the considerate service from the stewards on the train," Xu said, adding that she took the train for the first time in July.

She recalled that she rushed to catch the train, sweating in the hot summer. A young steward offered her water after departure.

"When I got to sleep, he covered me with a blanket to ward off the cool air from the air conditioner," she said. "I was impressed by their attentive service."

The leader of the team of male stewards - the first such team in northern China - Fan Jie, 35, said they will also remind sleeping passengers on the high-speed G69 to get off the train when it arrives at their destination between Beijing and Guangzhou, Guangdong province.

The six team members, all men in their 20s and standing about 1.8 meters tall, have learned a lot about service. They've even been known to mend clothes for passengers.

But it can be a challenge because passengers are accustomed to the voices of female attendants on trains, according to Yang Hongyu, leader of all high-speed train steward teams in Shijiazhuang, capital of Hebei province.

When the passengers become impatient with delays, females seem to have an advantage in calming them down, Yang said, but the young men can handle them, too.