Freight trains on track to drive Xinjiang economy

Between 2016 and the middle of this month, more than 2,400 trains had hauled goods across the port area, via about 20 routes of the China Express Railway, and made their way to 25 cities in 18 countries.

In addition to improving the efficiency and connectivity of the China Railway Service, the port area is also expected to provide a major boost for the regional economy.

One of the most popular commodities heading west from Xinjiang is a tomato-based sauce, according to Zheng Weiguo, vice-manager of Urumqi International Land Port Multimodal Transport Co.

"Last year, about 50,000 metric tons of the tomato-based sauce were exported to Russia alone," he said. Behind him, heavy trucks loaded with multicolored containers were revving up to transfer goods onto an approaching freight train.

It can take as long as 50 days for the sauce to reach its farthest destination, Naples in Italy, by sea, setting off from Tianjin Port in North China.

"The express train services have cut the journey time to about 12 days, allowing Chinese agricultural goods to overtake their global competitors," said Liu Shaohua, deputy director of the port area.

"We have already received positive feedback from wholesale buyers overseas, who have praised the rail service for its speed and low rate of damage (to goods). In the future, we plan to further boost confidence in products made in Xinjiang, and expand avenues for overseas sales through the real-time monitoring system and the sophisticated freight rail network."

Liu regards the upgrade of the cross-border rail trade as a pivotal moment in Xinjiang's overall development.

"Its long distance from waterways has seen Xinjiang lag behind other parts of the country for a long time in terms of its performance in global business; but a new opportunity has emerged as the country adds impetus to trade growth via both land and sea," he said.

"We believe that eventually, Xinjiang will blend into the global trade network fully and seamlessly."