兰新高铁开通“钢铁丝绸之路”谱写新乐章

Xinjiang Section of Lanzhou-Xinjiang highspeed rail goes into service

2000多年前,古丝绸之路的开辟,让中国西北部在阵阵驼铃声中焕发活力。如今,在它的近旁,一条全新的“钢铁丝绸之路”正在徐徐展开,迎接四方宾客。

The Xinjiang Section of the Lanzhou-Xinjiang high-speed railway has gone into service on November the 16 th, marking the first high-speed service in China's far west. The railway, also known as the Lanxin Railway, follows the path of the ancient Silk Road. It runs over 1,700 kilometers, from Lanzhou, Gansu Province, through the Hexi Corridor, to Urumqi in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. It passes through 39 stations,including Xinjiang's cities of Turpan and Hami, and Gansu's Jiayuguan, Jiuquan and Xining. The travel time needed to cover that distance when the line is in full operation later this year will be reduced to half, at about 9 hours.