Railway around China’s largest desert

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China opened a railway line around its largest desert, the Taklimakan, in the country’s northwestern Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. The railway line is 2,712 kilometres long and allows for speeds of up to 120 kilometres per hour. It has 22 stations, six of which also offer cargo services. The completion of this line has connected five counties and certain towns in southern Xinjiang that were previously inaccessible by train. It will also facilitate the transportation of Xinjiang specialties including cotton, walnuts, red dates, and minerals to other parts of the country.