New railway completes 2,700km loop of Taklamakan Desert in move to integrate Xinjiang with rest of China
- New 825km Hotan-Ruoqiang railway connects three existing desert railways and gives five counties train access for the first time
- China State Railway Group says new rail line will ‘play a role in boosting ethnic unity, strengthening national defence’
The first passengers boarded the Hotan-Ruoqiang railway on Thursday as Beijing doubles down on its vast project to integrate the region with the rest of the country – while Western companies look to diversify and decouple from the supply chain in Xinjiang, citing fears of sanctions and human rights concerns.
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Final stretch of railway completed on loop around China’s largest desert
The rail line completes a 2,712km (1,700-mile) railway around the Taklamakan Desert in a world first circumnavigation of a desert, national railway operator China State Railway Group announced.
The 825km new section of railway runs from Hotan city in southwestern Xinjiang to Ruoqiang county in the southeast, a journey of about 11½ hours, with a design speed of 120km/h (75mph). It has 22 stations, including 11 offering a passenger service, six with a cargo service and stations for technical operations.
The new line connects to three existing desert railways, enabling trains to pass through five prefecture-level regions in Xinjiang and for five counties in southern Xinjiang to have access to a train service for the first time.
