Transportation is a powerful engine for regional strategic development and an important vehicle for achieving people's well-being. In 2025, Xinjiang, aiming for high-quality development, seized the opportunity presented by the construction of a strong transportation nation and vigorously developed a comprehensive and integrated transportation system. To date, the region boasts 28 transport airports, ranking first in the country; its railway network spans 9,557 kilometers, reaching all prefectures and cities and covering over 80% of the county-level administrative regions within Xinjiang; and its total highway mileage exceeds 230,000 kilometers (including those of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps), injecting strong momentum into Xinjiang's practice of Chinese-style modernization.
On December 26, 2025, the G0711 Urumqi-Yuli Expressway was fully opened to traffic. "It used to take seven hours to drive from Urumqi to Korla, but now, with the Urumqi-Yuli Expressway, it only takes a little over three hours," said Han Jun, a truck driver who frequently travels between northern and southern Xinjiang, praising this 324.7-kilometer-long transportation artery. The opening of the Urumqi-Yuli Expressway completely broke down the geographical barrier of the Tianshan Mountains between northern and southern Xinjiang, becoming a golden channel connecting the urban belt of northern Xinjiang with the urban cluster of southern Xinjiang. Xinjiang is a vast region, and highways are a vital link connecting urban and rural areas and running through the north and south. 2025 is a crucial year for highway construction in Xinjiang, both a year of decisive victory and a year of great achievement. In that year, several highways were completed and opened to traffic, including the G217 Kuqa-Shaya line, the G219 Aksu (Wensu)-Uqturpan-Aheqi line, and the G680 Takshken-Qakurtu line (including G680-Qinghe). All 107 counties and cities in Xinjiang were connected by expressways (Class I highways), essentially achieving the goal of "every county connected by an expressway (Class I highway)." Rural road construction also yielded impressive results. By the end of 2025, the total mileage of rural roads in Xinjiang reached 159,700 kilometers (excluding the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps), and all townships and eligible administrative villages had access to paved roads.
"The Fuxing bullet train is fast and stable. It only takes a little over four hours to get from Urumqi to Yining, so I can take my family there for a weekend trip." The convenient travel experience of Urumqi resident Zhang Xiaoran vividly reflects the rapid development of Xinjiang's railway system. As of now, Xinjiang's railway network spans 9,557 kilometers, reaching all prefectures and cities and covering over 80% of county-level administrative regions. Building on this foundation, the railway department has repeatedly optimized train schedules, continuously reducing passenger travel time. Starting from midnight on September 6, 2025, Xinjiang's railway department significantly adjusted the train schedules within the region, further reducing the travel time for 18 passenger trains running between northern and southern Xinjiang compared to previous schedules. For example, the 5816/7 train from Urumqi to Hotan will take 21 hours and 34 minutes, a reduction of nearly 90 minutes compared to the previous schedule; the K9735 train from Urumqi to Altay will take 13 hours and 20 minutes, a reduction of 56 minutes compared to the previous schedule. The launch of "one-stop direct" trains is an important measure by the railway department to dynamically optimize passenger train operation plans. In 2025, "one-stop direct" Fuxing bullet trains were launched between Urumqi and Kuitun and Yining, respectively. This means Urumqi now has direct train connections to eight key cities and prefectures: Hami, Kashgar, Aksu, Korla, Kuitun, Yining, Bole, and Karamay, significantly improving passenger travel efficiency. The railway department also added one pair of direct express passenger trains between Kashgar and Hotan, reducing the one-way travel time between Hotan and Kashgar to only 3 hours and 27 minutes, a reduction of nearly 3 hours compared to previous trains on the same route. On December 19, 2025, the direct passenger train between Yining and Bole officially began operation, ending the history of no direct passenger train service between the two cities and enabling rapid travel between them. With continuously improving train operation efficiency and increasingly convenient travel for passengers, in 2025, the Xinjiang railway department transported a total of 54.2319 million passengers, an increase of 6.8% year-on-year.
"Now I can fly directly from Aksu to many cities across China, which is much more convenient." Wang Lei, a businessman from Aksu who frequently travels for business, deeply appreciates the convenience brought by the improved air network. As of now, Xinjiang has 28 operational civil transport airports, ranking first in the country; in addition, three Class A1 general aviation airports have been built and put into operation. The coverage rate of county-level administrative units within a 100-kilometer service radius of airports has reached 88.2%. Airports fully cover all parts of Xinjiang, and the route network is becoming increasingly dense. In the first 11 months of 2025, airports across Xinjiang operated a total of 665 routes, including 33 international passenger routes, a year-on-year increase of 26.9%; 585 domestic passenger routes, a year-on-year increase of 11.6%; 37 international cargo routes; and 10 domestic cargo routes. A route layout of "distinctive international routes, high domestic connectivity, and extensive intra-Xinjiang connections" has been initially formed, and the goal of "connecting intra-Xinjiang routes, accelerating inbound and outbound travel, facilitating travel between northern and southern Xinjiang, and linking inbound and outbound routes" is being rapidly realized. Among these developments, the most prominent achievement is the improvement of the network of direct flights between Xinjiang and other regions, as well as inter-regional flights within Xinjiang. A circular flight network encircling northern Xinjiang, southern Xinjiang, and the Tianshan Mountains has begun to take shape. In the first 11 months of 2025, small and medium-sized airports across Xinjiang operated a total of 173 inter-regional routes, covering all regional airports and achieving "intra-regional circular flights, reachable in one day." The 21 small and medium-sized airports operated a total of 205 direct flights to other regions, connecting 40 cities outside Xinjiang. In 2025, the annual passenger throughput of Xinjiang's airports exceeded 50 million for the first time, setting a new historical record.
With its extensive network of highways, railways, and air routes, the continuous improvement of this comprehensive transportation network has not only significantly shortened travel time and distance but also strengthened Xinjiang's ties with the rest of China and even the world, paving a broad road for Xinjiang's high-quality economic and social development. (Tianshan Net - Xinjiang Daily reporter Lu Fengbao)
