The railway was developed by the Ministry of Railways, the government of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and the State Development and Investment Corporation (SDIC).
Construction started in 2010 and cost an estimated 2.99 billion yuan (456.69 million U.S. dollars), SDIC officials said.
A subsidiary of the SDIC has a project in Lop Nur producing 1.2 million tonnes of potassium-rich salt a year, with output expected to rise to 2.9 million tonnes annually, the officials said.
China consumes more than 10 million tonnes of potash fertilizer every year, 70 percent of which comes from abroad. Lop Nur holds more than 500 million tonnes of potassium chloride reserves.
"In addition to potassium salt, the region holds gold, copper and nickel," said Turgun Hergabura, an official with the Lop Nur township government.
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