New | High-speed rail line connecting Xinjiang and Gansu set to open
The line involves 1,776km of track, includes Qinghai and will cut the travel time between Lanzhou and Urumqi from 12 hours to eight
The first high-speed railway in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region will open in mid-October and cut journeys to nearby provinces from 12 hours to about eight hours, Xinhua reported.
The Lanzhou-Xinjiang High-Speed Railway, which began construction in 2009, will serve as a key link between the region and the provinces of Gansu and Qinghai. It will also help shorten travel time between Beijing and Urumqi, Xinjiang’s capital, from 40 hours to less than 20.
The report did not mention the exact date the first train would run.
The 1,776km of track, which will be the longest high-speed railway line in the world, cost 143.5 billion yuan (HK$181 billion) including 31 stations. It will cross three major plateaus – Qinghai-Tibet, Loess and Pamirs – at speeds of up to 250km/h and connect three capitals – Urumqi; Xining, Qinghai; and Lanzhou, Gansu.
China is also building another high-speed line connecting Lanzhou and Xian, Shaanxi. Upon its completion, the high-speed rail system will run from Urumqi to the Pacific coast.
One of the biggest challenges was dealing with the geology of Qilian Mountain Tunnel No 1 in Qinghai, whose highest point is 4,211 metres above sea level, according to mainland media.