Xinjiang braces for first high-speed railway

In a speech in Kazakhstan last September, Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed the construction of a "Silk Road Economic Belt" as a way of developing political and economic ties with China's neighbors and accelerating the development of China's western regions.

Xinjiang is a major energy powerhouse for China. Insufficient transport capacity has long restricted the region's development as lots of raw materials and products have to be sent to the inland regions by trucks, which take more time and are more costly, said Lai Xin, a senior official with the region's development and reform commission.

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The new line is solely a passenger line, which will spare railway transport capacity and make it more convenient for bulk commodities to be sent out of Xinjiang, he said.

The high-speed railway will also prompt the concentration of talent, goods and capital and boost economic development along the line, said Lai.

Xinjiang is a remote region, and more than half of its population is made up of ethnic minorities who hold Muslim beliefs. 

Affected by the terrorist attacks, inbound direct investment in the region was cut by half and tourism revenues were reduced by 40 percent this year, said Lai.

Li Wenqing, an official with the regional tourism bureau, pins hopes on the high-speed railway to revive tourism, which has been hit hard by recent attacks.

Xinjiang received 52 million domestic tourists and 1.1 million foreign tourists in 2013. Li is still optimistic about reaching the target of receiving 57 million tourists this year.

Zulhumar Tursun, 23, an attendant on the test train, is also confident of Xinjang's future. She appears at ease on the security issue as she attends counter-terrorist training every month.

"Xinjiang is not so terrible as you hear in rumors," she said.

"There are Uygurs, Hui and Han colleagues in my nine-member team and we live in peace," she said.