Golmud–Korla railway

Geku railway (Chinese: 格库铁路) is a railway connecting Golmud and Korla, in western China. Construction started in November 2014 and was completed in 2020.[1] The length of the line is 1,214 kilometers, joining Qinghai province and Xinjiang province. The investment is estimated to be CN¥36 billion (~US$6 billion). The line will connect the existing Qinghai–Tibet railway and the Southern Xinjiang railway. It will be the third railway connecting Xinjiang province with another Chinese province and the third line to Golmud after the Qinghai–Tibet railway and the Golmud–Dunhuang railway which is also under construction.

Golmud–Korla railway
Overview
Other name(s)Geku Railway
Native name格库铁路
Statusin operation
LocaleXinjiang, Qinghai
TerminiGolmud
Korla
Connecting linesQinghai–Tibet railway
Technical
Line length1,214 km (754 mi)

The railway crosses the Qaidam Basin, the Altyn-Tagh mountain range, and the Taklamakan Desert. As the third rail artery linking Xinjiang with neighboring provinces, the line cut travel time between the two places from 26 hours to 12 hours.[2]

The railway generally follows the route of Qinghai Provincial Highway 303 (from Golmud to Mangya Lake 茫崖湖), China National Highway 315 (from Mangya Lake to Ruoqiang) and China National Highway 315 (from Ruoqiang to Korla).

A 24.6 km (15.3 mi) long viaduct crosses over the Karakoshun Lake.[3]

The line is used for passenger travel and cargo such as petroleum products.[3]

South Xinjiang loop

As of May 2017, preliminary research is conducted for the future Hotan–Ruoqiang railway along the southern rim of the Tarim Basin.[4] This future railway line, if constructed, together with the existing Kashgar–Hotan Railway, the Korla–Kashgar section of the Southern Xinjiang railway, and the Ruoqiang–Korla section of the Golmud–Korla railway, will form a loop around the western part of the Tarim Basin.

History

With a design speed of 120 kilometers per hour, the Qinghai section of the rail route launched on 30 June 2020 stretching 505.6 kilometers and 15 stations, with one pair of passenger trains and two pairs of freight trains per day at launch.[5] The remaining section opened on 9 December 2020.[6][7]

See also

References
  1. https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202006/30/WS5efb04a9a310834817256359.html
  2. 1
  3. 澎湃新闻 (2020-12-10). "格库铁路新疆段正式建成通车，乌鲁木齐-拉萨实现最短铁路直连". finance.sina.com.cn. Retrieved 2020-12-10.
  4. 和田至若羌铁路将开工建设 (Construction of the Hotan–Ruopqiang railway will begin), 2017-05-10
  5. 1
  6. "还有2天！格库铁路即将全线贯通". qh.people.com.cn. Retrieved 2020-12-06.
  7. "首趟列车出发！12月9日格库铁路新疆段正式通车运营_【高铁网】". news.gaotie.cn. Retrieved 2020-12-09.


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