Xinjiang–Xizang rail project marks a key moment

The Xinjiang–Xizang Railway Co Ltd was established on Thursday, as the National Enterprise Credit Information Publicity System showed. It marks a significant step in the development of one of China's most advanced transport projects.

Based in Lhasa, capital of the Xizang autonomous region, the company has a registered capital of 95 billion yuan ($13.22 billion) and is primarily engaged in railway transportation. Its business scope covers construction and engineering supervision, railway infrastructure manufacturing, public railway operations, as well as services in catering, accommodation, real estate development, and tourism, according to the system.

China State Railway Group is the sole corporate shareholder.

The National Enterprise Credit Information Publicity System, operated by the State Administration for Market Regulation, is an official online platform that discloses registered companies' key information, legal status and credit records to the public.

The Xinjiang–Xizang Railway is among 45 major projects outlined in the Ministry of Transport's 2025 Plan for Major Projects in Building China into a Transport Powerhouse, released in February. Speaking at a news conference in April, Jin Jingdong, deputy director of the ministry's Comprehensive Planning Department, said preliminary work on the railway is being accelerated, with construction targeted to begin within the year.

According to previous reports from Xinjiang Daily, initial surveying for the railway has been completed and preparatory work is proceeding at pace. The project will run from Hotan in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region to Shigatse and Lhasa in Xizang.

It will form part of China's five planned railway corridors into Xizang — alongside the completed Qinghai–Xizang Railway, the under-construction Sichuan–Xizang Railway and planned Gansu–Xizang and Yunnan–Xizang railways.

Once completed, the Xinjiang–Xizang Railway will serve as a key artery linking China's northwest and southwest regions, playing a vital role in enhancing economic, cultural, and tourism exchanges between Xinjiang and Xizang.