At 9:40 on December 9, 2020, as the K9756 passenger train slowly departed from Korla Station, it marked the official opening of the Xinjiang section of the Golmud-Korla Railway. So far, the Gekku Railway has been fully connected. This is the following December After the opening of the Fuzun Railway on the 6th, the second long-distance trunk line opened in Xinjiang in just four days.

The builders of China Railway Construction were invited to take the first train

The Ge-Ku Railway starts from Golmud City, Qinghai Province, passes through Ruoqiang County and Yuli County in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, and ends in Korla City. It is a national railway class I electrified railway with a total length of 1,206 kilometers and passes through China’s largest desert—— Taklimakan Desert. The Qinghai section of the Ge-Ku Railway was opened for operation on June 30, 2020. The Xinjiang section opened this time is 734 kilometers long and is located at Itunbulak, Milan, Ruoqiang, Tieganlik, Kurmuyi, and Inkule There are 8 passenger stations in Yuli, Yuli and Korla.

Wang Xinyuan and Liu Wanhui, the locomotive drivers of the Korla Locomotive Depot of China Railway Urumqi Bureau Group Co., Ltd., took on the task of traction for the first passenger train. Before driving, Wang Xinyuan said: "I feel particularly honored to be able to take on the task of taking the first passenger bus crew, and I also feel a great responsibility."

On the platform of Korla Station, 80-year-old Wang Cuilan and her friends boarded the train, ready to go to Ruoqiang. She happily said: "It's been a long time since I was waiting for this day, and finally I can take the train to Ruoqiang. It used to take more than 10 hours by car. Now it is convenient and comfortable to take the train for 5 hours. It will be more convenient to take the train to the mainland ."

The passenger feasted in Dachuan, a train fan, who took a plane from Jiangsu to experience the first train. He said happily: "The construction of the Gekko Railway is of far-reaching significance. I always pay attention to the fact that China's railway is developing too fast, and the people benefit the most."

It is understood that after the opening of the Xinjiang section of the Geku Railway, the travel time from Golmud to Korla will also be shortened from the original 26 hours to about 12 hours. The railway department arranged 1.5 pairs of passenger trains from Korla to Itunbulak with a maximum operating speed of 120 kilometers per hour. At the same time, two pairs of cargo trains from Korla to Golmud were arranged. Starting from December 9th, every 3 days, there will be one train each from Korla to Itunbulak K9756, Itunbulak to Ruoqiang K9753, and Ruoqiang to Korla K9755.

The Gekko Railway is the third major railway passage to and from Xinjiang after the Lanxin Railway and Linhe-Hami Railway. It is also one of the major land transportation passages from China to Europe and West Asia. The opening of the Gekku Railway to traffic will further improve the railway network structure in western China, especially in Qinghai and Xinjiang, effectively increase the railway transportation capacity in southern Xinjiang, greatly facilitate the travel of the people along the line, and promote the development of resources in the areas along the line. Promote the economic and social development of Qinghai and Xinjiang, strengthen unity in ethnic areas and consolidate national defense security. Editor/He Yuting