The first high-speed rail in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region began running on Nov. 16, cutting travel time between the Urumqi and the eastern city of Hami from 5 hours to 3.5 hours. Now, it takes just 1 hour for travelers who travel from Urumqi to Turpan by high-speed train.
The 530-km rail, with a designed speed of over 200 km per hour, is part of the 1,776-km Lanxin high-speed railway linking Urumqi with Lanzhou, capital of northwestern province of Gansu, which will be put into service by the end of this year.
The Xinjiang railway bureau said a high-speed railway connecting Lanzhou and Beijing is now under construction and expected to be completed by 2017, which will reduce travel time between Urumqi and Beijing from the current 41 hours to 16 hours.