| Southern Xinjiang railway 南疆铁路 | |
|---|---|
.jpg) The Southern Xinjiang railway through the Tian Shan range in Hejing County | |
| Overview | |
| Status | Operational |
| Locale |  People's Republic of China |
| Termini | |
| Service | |
| Type | Heavy rail |
| System |  China Railway |
| Operator(s) | China Railway Ürümqi Group |
| History | |
| Opened | 1984 (Turpan–Korla) 1999 (Korla–Kashgar) |
| Technical | |
| Line length | 1,930 km (1,200 mi) |
| Number of tracks | 2 (Turpan–Aksu; Double-track railway) 1 (Aksu–Kashgar; Single-track railway) |
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge |
| Minimum radius | 800 m (2,625 ft) |
| Electrification | 25 kV AC, 50 Hz (Turpan–Korla) |
| Operating speed | 160km/h |
| Highest elevation | 2.2% |
The Southern Xinjiang railway or Nanjiang railway (simplified Chinese: 南疆铁路; traditional Chinese: 南疆鐵路; pinyin: Nánjiāng tiělù), is a railway between Turpan and Kashgar in Xinjiang, China. The railway is 1,446 km (899 mi) in length and runs along the southern slope of the Tian Shan mountain range, connecting all major cities and towns of the Northern Tarim Basin, including Turpan, Hejing, Yanqi, Korla, Luntai (Bügür), Kuqa, Toksu (Xinhe), Aksu, Maralbexi (Bachu), Artux, and Kashgar.[1][2]
The line joins the Lanzhou–Xinjiang railway at Turpan (connecting to Ürümqi) and the Kashgar–Hotan railway in Kashgar. It also forms the Taklimakan Desert railway loop, together with sections of the Hotan–Ruoqiang railway, Kashgar–Hotan railway, and Golmud–Korla railway.[3]
- ^ (Chinese) "12月6日：南疆铁路全线开通运营" Accessed 2011-01-21
- ^ (Chinese) "南疆铁路" Accessed 2011-01-21
- ^ Zhang, Kate (17 June 2022). "New railway completes 2,700km loop of Taklamakan Desert in move to integrate Xinjiang with rest of China". South China Morning Post.