CHAPTER 488: CHAPTER 342: ONLY BENEFITS, NO DOWNSIDES

At 5:45 in the afternoon, the Jiangnan Passenger 901 sounded its whistle and slowly departed from the Bailong Port Passenger Pier.

This was a ferry that had sailed for more than twenty years; since its launch, it had always operated on the Bainiu Line, shuttling countless passengers to and from Linghai and Zhuangming Island over the years.

Today, there were very few passengers on the ferry, just a few elders who had come to Linghai in the morning to visit relatives.

However, there was a crowd on the pier. Deputy Director Wang from the Port Authority, overseeing passenger transport, was there, and a deputy director from the Linghai City Transportation Bureau had also come.

The person in charge of the Bailong Port Passenger Pier and all the staff were present, as well as the officers and auxiliary police from the Bailong Port Police Station and the Water Police Third Team. Jin Weiguo and Old Ge from the Port Supervision Bureau were there, and even several staff members from the Bailong Port Lock Management Office and the riverside gas station had shown up.

Officials from the Port Authority’s Publicity Department and reporters who heard the news were busy taking photos. As the ferry sailed further away, tears welled up in the eyes of Director Liu Xinmin from the Bailong Port Police Station.

Because this was the final voyage of the Jiangnan Passenger 901. After delivering these few elders to Niu Peng Port, all four ferries, including the Jiangnan Passenger 901, would be sold to a company from Zhehai that specializes in second-hand ships. With that, the more than a century-old Bainiu Passenger Line would also cease operations.

And this cessation was different from the past; once stopped, it would not resume.

Firstly, with the Bainiu Ferry now in operation, passengers who lived far from either pier chose to travel by car and cross the river by the ferry, leading to a dwindling number of passengers. Over the past two years, the Bainiu Passenger Line operated at a loss for every journey, solely incurring deficits.

Secondly, the sediment accumulation was severe, and ferries, unlike the Bai Shen and Bai Liu passenger ships, had to sail several times a day and could not wait for the tide to sail.

In fact, as early as a year ago, the vehicle and passenger ferry service between Bailong Port and Niu Peng Port had been suspended.

In short, with the departure of the Jiangnan Passenger 901, only the Bai Shen, Bai Liu passenger lines, and a high-speed passenger ferry line between Bailong Port and the East Sea’s Wusong Port would remain at the Bailong Port Passenger Pier. Moreover, these three lines only had one service per day.

One could imagine how deserted the ticket office and waiting hall would be from now on.

In the mornings when Bai Shen, Bai Liu, and the high-speed ferry dock, the place might bustle with passengers coming from the East Sea or Liuhe Port getting off, or boarding the ship. But after Bai Shen, Bai Liu, and the high speed ferry depart, it will become desolate, probably with very few people after 9 a.m.

Old Liu had worked at Bailong Port for several decades and had witnessed the port’s busiest times when tens of thousands of passengers were sent off each day. It was a struggle to find a ticket to either the East Sea or Liuhe, and the waiting hall was always overcrowded. He knew how many villagers nearby had made fortunes by catering to the passengers.

That bygone prosperity is irrevocable, and Old Liu’s feelings can be easily understood.

Old Zhang, who came to see off the Jiangnan Passenger 901, felt the same discontent; he really missed the days when there were many scalpers at Bailong Port. The presence of scalpers, as annoying as they were, reflected the prosperity of Bailong Port.

Old Ding understood what Old Liu was feeling at the moment and jokingly tried to lighten the mood, "Director Liu, you’re better off than me. Although the ferry has ceased operations, the Bai Shen, Bai Liu, and high-speed ferry haven’t. At least the Bailong Port Police Station is still around. Unlike me, I did duty at the bus station for a few days, and then the bus station was done for."

Liu Xinmin gazed at the murky river water and smiled bitterly, "Bai Shen and Bai Liu have always been operating in the red, and the high-speed ferry is said not even to have earned back its capital. I reckon the remaining three lines won’t last much longer either."

"You’re almost eligible for early retirement anyway. Even if you don’t retire early, how many more years can you work? In any case, the Bailong Port Police Station won’t close down on your watch."

"That may be true, but I’ve worked at Bailong Port ever since I joined the workforce; I’ve been here for decades."

"The roads keep getting better, and car transportation increasingly convenient. The decline of water transport is an inevitable trend; there’s nothing that can be done about it."

Although Chen Zikun also felt sentimental, his sentiment wasn’t as profound as Comrade Old Liu’s. Curiously he asked, "Director Liu, what will they do with the ferry after its retirement?"

"Perhaps they’ll resell it to countries like India and Bangladesh, or they might directly tow it away to be scrapped for metal."

"Selling it to India and Bangladesh!"

"Those countries are poor and their shipbuilding technology isn’t up to par. They can’t afford new ships yet have a need for them, so they can only buy old ones. I’ve heard that many retired passenger ships in recent years have been sold to Southeast Asia."

The Jiangnan Passenger 901 gradually became a mere dot in the distance.

Director Liu Xinmin recalled something the bureau leader had asked him to handle in the afternoon. He turned to look around, seeing the leaders and reporters had all left, he quietly said, "Zikun, come with me to the office."

Chen Zikun instinctively asked, "What’s up?"

Before Liu Xinmin could speak, Old Zhang patted him on the arm with a laugh, "Good news!"

Old Ding also knew what was going on, smiled slightly, and walked away with Old Zhang.

Zhang Ping and Xiao Gong, who had just returned with Chen Zikun a few days before, were puzzled. Remembering that they could not leave the Dunship unmanned, they bid farewell to Old Liu and Chen Zikun, and along with Jin Weiguo and Old Ge, got into a jeep and headed back.

Old Liu took Chen Zikun into the Bailong Port Police Station, closed the door with a smile, and asked, "Zikun, would you be interested in transferring to our station as a Deputy Instructor?"

Although he was also an Instructor, that was with the Water Police Third Team of the Water Police Station.

The Water Police Third Team not only existed in name but had no subordinates, and it was only a Standard Stock Level unit.

The Bailong Port Police Station, although not having many police officers, was a Full Department Level institution where the Director and Instructor roles were at the Director level while the Deputy Director and Deputy Instructor were at the Deputy Director level.