URUMQI – The laying of railway tracks for a new line linking Northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region with Qinghai province and beyond was completed Tuesday, paving the way for accelerating development in the country’s western region.

The 1,213.7-km Golmud-Korla Railway, linking the city of Golmud in Qinghai and the city of Korla in Xinjiang, is the third railway for exchanges between Xinjiang and other provincial regions.

The railway covers a variety of landscapes including deserts, plateaus and mountains as well as natural reserves, and boasts an altitude difference as high as about 2,500 meters, according to China Railway First Group Co Ltd, the railway’s developer.

A string of steps such as building railway bridges have been taken to reduce the impact on the local natural environment and wildlife to the minimum, the company said.

The line, which is slated to be put into operation later this year, will cut the traffic time between Golmud and Korla from about 26 hours to roughly 12 hours.

The operation of the Golmud-Korla Railway is likely to boost regional economy in the country’s western region and facilitate exchanges along the Silk Road Economic Belt thanks to enhanced connectivity.

From: Xinhua