At 8:10 AM, as the dawn light had yet to fully illuminate Kashgar, Xinjiang, a green train from Urumqi slowly pulled into the platform. 750 passengers gradually rose from their seats to disembark, with some raising their phones to capture the "Kashgar" station sign in the morning light, preparing to begin a new day's journey. This scene unfolds daily at Kashgar Station.
Departing Urumqi at 8:40 PM the previous evening and arriving in Kashgar at 8:10 AM the next day, this direct express passenger train launched in June 2022 represents Xinjiang's first such service. It not only achieves "evening departure, morning arrival" but also reduces the travel time between Urumqi and Kashgar to 11.5 hours, becoming a "golden corridor" connecting northern and southern Xinjiang while facilitating tourist access and stimulating economic activity.
"You haven't truly been to Xinjiang until you've visited Kashgar." Located in southwestern Xinjiang, Kashgar is a brilliant pearl on the ancient Silk Road. With its deep cultural heritage and abundant tourism resources, the city features renowned attractions such as the Fragrant Concubine Garden and Tashkurgan Stone City, as well as the "living thousand-year-old city" of Kashgar Old Town, representing the "poetry and distant lands" for many travelers.
However, in the past, traveling from Urumqi at the foot of the Tianshan Mountains to Kashgar was no easy task, with the nearly 1,500-kilometer journey often requiring more than 20 hours. Today, with the continuous improvement of Xinjiang's railway network, "reaching a thousand miles in one day" has become reality.
"I originally planned to fly from Urumqi, but seeing many people online recommend the 'Kashgar' train for its cost-effectiveness, I decided to book tickets," said Guo Meijuan, a solo traveler visiting Xinjiang. Compared to other transportation methods, what attracts her most about the "Kashgar" train is its convenience. "It's very convenient – you sleep in the berth and wake up in Kashgar."
Launched in July 2022, the "Kashgar" direct express passenger train serves as a signature brand train for Xinjiang Railway's strategy of "attracting visitors to Kashgar, developing tourism in Kashgar, and promoting economic development in the Kashgar region." It is not only Xinjiang's first all-sleeper train but also the only all-sleeper service between Urumqi and Kashgar. The entire journey takes 11 hours and 30 minutes with "point-to-point" operation and no intermediate stops, significantly reducing the spatial and temporal distance between the two cities.
Following the "Riding High-Speed Rail to See China: Witnessing Xinjiang's Development and Changes" reporting team, journalists boarded the "Kashgar" train for a firsthand experience. Entering the train feels like stepping into a mobile Kashgar cultural exhibition hall. Themed "Southern Xinjiang Cultural Journey," the train features compartment door plates printed with names of Kashgar attractions, cultural customs, and specialty products, comprehensively showcasing the tourism resources and cultural landscape of all 12 counties and cities under Kashgar's jurisdiction.
Complementing the customized carriages is the "Kashgar" train's thoughtful and meticulous service. To facilitate passenger travel, the train provides bilingual services. The "Tianshan Snow Lotus" priority passenger service signs are frequently visible throughout the train, along with call-response devices. Crew members wear specially designed uniforms featuring Adilai silk patterns and implement a "service when needed, no disturbance when not" approach.
According to Amilan Alim, an officer from the Urumqi Passenger Transport Section's tourism team, the "Kashgar" train has maintained consistent popularity throughout its three years of operation. "Whether during holidays like May Day and National Day, or during peak periods like Spring Festival and summer transport, this train's occupancy rate basically reaches over 95%. There's essentially no off-season."
"The trains here are very affordable and very comfortable," said British students Jonathan and Adrian in the train's bar car, joyfully dancing Xinjiang folk dances with fellow passengers. Driven by curiosity about the Silk Road, they came to China planning to visit Kashgar Old Town. "We've taken various different trains, but actually I prefer sleeper trains because the compartments are more spacious, you can lie down and relax, and you can look out the window to appreciate China's natural beauty. The natural landscapes here are very diverse."
During their three weeks in China, the two have traveled by train through Beijing, Shanxi, Sichuan, Gansu, and Xinjiang, developing deep appreciation for China's railway development. "China's high-speed rail system is amazing. Building the world's largest high-speed railway network in just a few decades is an astonishing and highly inspiring achievement."
With visa-free policies and various convenience measures gradually implemented, more foreign tourists like Jonathan and Adrian are visiting Kashgar. In recent years, Kashgar's cultural tourism industry has continuously developed, becoming a beneficial industry that promotes high-quality economic development and increases employment and income.
Data shows that from 2012 to 2024, tourist visits to the entire Kashgar region jumped from 3.6 million to 41.98 million, while tourism revenue grew from 2 billion yuan to 35.8 billion yuan, achieving leapfrog growth.
Walking through the historic Kashgar Old Town, visitors find shops of various types including intangible cultural heritage representative project experiences, specialty dining, and guesthouse photography services. Stalls display a dazzling array of Adilai silk, handicrafts, and fruit ice cream. Tourists from across the country stroll through the old city streets, selecting specialties and taking photos, experiencing the historical charm and fashionable atmosphere of the ancient city.
Railways facilitate all industries. For a long time, the Southern Xinjiang Railway has provided solid support for economic and social development, cultural exchange, and tourism prosperity in the Kashgar region. Trains traversing the Gobi Desert not only make travel more convenient but also inject unprecedented vitality into tourism development and cultural exchange in Kashgar and the entire southern Xinjiang region.
"In the past, traveling from Urumqi to southern Xinjiang or from Hotan and Ruoqiang to northern Xinjiang required detours and road transportation. After the Hotan-Ruoqiang Railway opened, southern Xinjiang formed a complete railway loop, allowing passengers to 'travel fast and tour slowly.' More and more tourists choose Kashgar as their starting point or core station, significantly boosting local cultural and tourism consumption," explained a relevant official from the Kashgar Regional Bureau of Culture, Radio, Television and Tourism.
Meanwhile, with the normalized operation of tourism trains around the Taklamakan Desert, villages and scenic areas around Kashgar welcome more visitors, allowing more residents to benefit from the "tourism economy" at their doorstep. According to reports, in 2024, the entire Kashgar region provided direct tourism employment for 52,500 people and indirect employment for 119,800 people, with a total of 172,300 people from all ethnic groups achieving increased income through the cultural tourism industry chain.
From "being able to travel" to "traveling well," Xinjiang Railway Department continuously enriches tourism products and upgrades services from entry to departure, meeting passengers' expectations for quality travel. Cui Xinglong, Party Secretary of Kashgar Station under Kashgar Railway Section, told reporters that in recent years, Kashgar Railway Section has deepened the creation of the "Tianshan Snow Lotus" service brand and improved station facilities and waiting environments. Kashgar Station's building area has significantly increased, and the waiting hall's passenger capacity has expanded from the initial 1,000 people to 4,000 people.
During this year's summer transport period, Kashgar Station completed passenger service quality improvement and reinforcement projects, optimizing various hardware and software facilities and establishing priority passenger waiting areas to make passenger entry and exit smoother and more comfortable. The station has also been developed as a "window" showcasing beautiful Xinjiang and railway culture, using reliefs, light walls, and cultural creative display areas featuring Xinjiang's characteristic scenery to inspire passengers' longing for and love of beautiful Xinjiang.
As steel arteries continue extending, trains speeding across the vast southern Xinjiang landscape serve not only as transportation lines but also as "unity lines" promoting cultural exchange and "golden lines" driving tourism development, continuously empowering Kashgar's prosperous development and writing new chapters on the ancient Silk Road.