World's first desert-railway loop line in Northwest China

As the last seam between the rails was welded, construction of the Hotan-Ruoqiang Railway was completed. Together with the Golmud-Korla Railway, the Kashgar-Hotan Railway and the Southern Xinjiang Railway, the four railway lines form the world's first desert-railway loop line.

The loop line surrounds the Taklimakan Desert, China's largest desert, in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

Linking the city of Hotan with Ruoqiang county in the Bayingolin Mongol Autonomous Prefecture, the 825-kilometer railway will play a vital role in enhancing connectivity and promoting development.