The majestic bridge spans the Yangtze River, turning a natural barrier into a smooth thoroughfare. As high-speed trains travel safely across the Wuhan Tianxingzhou Yangtze River Bridge over the mighty river, there is a group of railway police busy safeguarding the bridge’s safety. They are the officers of the Tianxingzhou Yangtze River Bridge Police Station under the Wuhan Public Security Division of the Wuhan Railway Public Security Bureau. With the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day approaching, this dedicated bridge protection team meticulously carries out its duties and responsibilities, safeguarding the absolute security of the bridge with their youthful dedication.
The Tianxingzhou Yangtze River Bridge officially began operation on December 26, 2009, alongside the launch of the Wuhan–Guangzhou High-Speed Railway. It is the second combined road-and-rail bridge in Hubei Province, and holds world records in “span length, speed, load capacity, and width.” The jurisdiction of the Tianxingzhou Yangtze River Bridge Police Station covers a total of 60.3 kilometers, including the main bridge and approach bridges. Every day, officers hike up the only iron staircase that stands 59 meters above ground to reach the bridge, inspect the tracks, and check for various safety hazards. Each officer patrols at least 10 kilometers per day. It is estimated that since the establishment of the station in 2009, officers have patrolled approximately 200,000 kilometers of railway tracks — equivalent to circling the Earth’s equator five times. Due to its outstanding performance over several consecutive years, the Tianxingzhou Yangtze River Bridge Police Station has been awarded a Collective Third-Class Merit by its superior authorities.