New high-speed railway line opened in China
Published: Tue, 2014-11-18 15:02Chinese central government's increase its efforts to promote economic development in restive hinterlands and bind them closer to the rest of China.
The new 530 km (330 miles) rail section was newly opened between Xinjiang's capital, Urumqi, and Hami. This is the first stage of the 1,775 km (1,100 miles) Lanxin railway connecting Urumqi to Lanzhou, the capital of central western Gansu Province.
The official Xinhua news agency reported on Sunday that the full length of the passenger railway is on schedule to open by the end of the year. Trains on the Urumqi-Hami leg could reach more than 200 km/h (120 mph), halving the travel time between the two cities to three hours.
Over the past year President Xi Jinping has spelled out ambitious plans to open China's west and build a "New Silk Road" network of intercontinental land routes and maritime lines that would connect China to its Central and Southeast Asian neighbors. He announced a $40 billion fund to invest in infrastructure projects earlier this month.
Source: Xinhua news agency