CCTV News: Recently, a railway version of the "Snake" video shot at the marshalling station in Xinfeng Town, Xi'an, Shaanxi became popular online. This online video was played at a speed twice, and two freight trains loaded with people's daily necessities drove out silky like the game version of "Greedy Snake", with the video viewing volume exceeding 10 million. Why can the train run so smoothly on the winding rails? Will trains frequently take "serpentine" routes cause damage to the switch?

The train winding forward like a spirit snake in the video comes from the Xinfeng Town Marshal of the National Railway Xi'an Bureau, one of the largest truck handling stations in the country. The railway Marshal is a transit and distribution center for various trucks. Freight trains from all directions gathered and disintegrated here, and then reorganized according to different types and destinations of goods, and were led by locomotives to all parts of the country.

Why do people rarely see "serpentine" trains on passenger routes? This is mainly considered to improve the speed and comfort of the train. The railway bends are generally large in radius and the lines are relatively straight. The freight marshalling stations need to organize, disassemble, shunt the trains, and often convert them in multiple lanes, so the "serpentine movement" appears.

The key to "serpentine movement" lies in the application of double-opened diamond switches. The "ribbon switch" is different from the simple choice of "either left or right" for ordinary single-opened switches. The diamond switch can quickly switch trains from one line to another through a special switch machine, thereby achieving the train's free shuttle between tracks. "Rhombus switch" is an important equipment in railway transportation, specially used to connect railway lines in different directions, and is especially suitable for large railway hubs and marshalling stations that require frequent changes in driving directions.

Station manager of Xinfeng Town Station of Xi'an Bureau of National Railways Shao Zezhan: Xinfeng Town Station has 175 lines, and trains need to frequently turn lines between different lines. The "diamond switch" can allow trains to run quickly and flexibly between lines. When the train passes these switches, the train is translated and forms a "serpentine" movement.

Some people may worry that if trains frequently take "serpentine" routes, will it cause damage to the switch? Actually, there is no need to worry at all. The diamond switch is made of special steel, which is compressive and wear-resistant, and has a very precise structural design, which can minimize the impact of the train when passing through.

How to ensure accuracy and errors when running on such a tortuous road? This mainly relies on a scientific and efficient integrated automation system of the Xinfeng Town Station.

Wang Zengtao, Party Secretary of Xinfeng Town Station of Xi'an Bureau of National Railways: The new generation of integrated automation system of marshalling stations will automatically generate the train driving path for each train based on the vehicle's cargo category, load capacity, destination and other information, and according to the transportation capacity of the route, including the order of turntables, entry and exit time, etc.