China’s Railway Network Extends to Altay

June 10, 2017, the train K9772 leaves Altay Railway Station at 10:00 am for Aksu. As the first train running on Beitun to Altay Railway line, the air-conditioned train K9722 put the impression of railway-inaccessible Altay in Northwest China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region into memory.

☝ The train leaves Altay Station for Urumqi and Aksu

Beitun – Altay Railway started construction on April 26th, 2014. With the length of 67.05 km and an investment of 1.42 billion Yuan, Beitun – Altay Railway is an extension to Kuitun – Beitun Railway. Originating from Beitun Railway Station, the Beitun - Altay Railway crosses over Irtysh River as well as Kelan River and terminates at Altay City.

Located in the northern part of Xinjiang, Altay Prefecture has abundant mineral resource and it is well known as an unique travel destination. It borders the Pepublic of Kazakhstan and the Russian Federation to the northwest and borders Mongolia to the north with the length of border of 1,205 km. With such a location competitive advantage, the Altay prefecture plays as an important transportation hub on the prestigious Silk Road Economic Belt.

☝ The Moon Bay Tourist Area of Kanas Lake in Altay

The operation of Beitun – Altay Railway will surely shorten space-time distance between Altay Prefecture and other prefectures in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region and people in all nationality will benefit using the new convenient and effective rail transportation method. The train will also bring more and more people domestic and overseas to visit the famous tourist attractions including Kanas Lake, Keketuohai National Park, the Rainbow Beach and etc to drive the development of the tourist industry in Altay.

Altay is an important transportation hub locating on the north passage on the Silk Road Economic Belt. The operation of Beitun –Altay Railway will help Altay to improve its connectivity with the neighboring countries and speed up the development and opening up of border area in Xinjiang.