Shiliuyun-Xinjiang Daily (Reporter Lu Fengbao) news: At 17:06 on May 15, 2025, the D8808 bullet train departed from Urumqi Station and headed towards Hami Station without any intermediate stops. This marks the achievement of one-seat direct train services between Urumqi and seven key node cities within Xinjiang.

"It takes just over two hours to get home, so I won't miss dinner. It's very convenient," said Liu Yu, a passenger on the D8808 train who frequently commutes between Urumqi City and Hami City. He finds it much easier to return home now that there's a one-seat direct train service.

Photo taken on May 15, 2025 shows passengers take the D8808 bullet train at Urumqi Railway Station in Urumqi City, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (Photo by Mu Zhipeng)

In recent years, the pace of railway construction in Xinjiang has accelerated, with the operating mileage exceeding 9,500 kilometers and covering over 80 percent of the county-level administrative regions across Xinjiang. As society develops rapidly, connections between cities have become increasingly close, and the public's demand for convenient and comfortable travel options has also grown.

Xinjiang Railway has been continuously improving the quality of passenger train services, meticulously planning the operation diagrams of passenger trains and vigorously promoting the formation of an "urban integration effect" between the capital city Urumqi and major surrounding node cities, thereby reducing travel time between Urumqi and these node cities.

"Through various methods such as preliminary visits, surveys, and passenger flow analysis, we've learned that as people's life rhythms accelerate, there's an increasing demand for fast and convenient travel options. Operating one-seat direct trains enables passengers to reach their destinations more quickly and reduces travel time," said Yang Li, the director of the Market Development Office of the Passenger Transport Department at China Railway Urumqi Group Co., Ltd. "In recent years, we have successively launched one-seat direct passenger train services in six directions from Urumqi City to Kashi, Aksu, Korla, Yining, Bole, and Karamay of Xinjiang, which have been extremely well-received by passengers."

Since the beginning of this year, Xinjiang Railway has continued to build a fast and convenient transportation network across the region by operating one-seat direct trains, adding more train services, and reducing travel time, making travel much easier for the public.

The one-seat direct train service between Urumqi City and Hami City, which was launched on the same day, enables point-to-point direct travel between the two cities without any intermediate stops. The single-trip travel time is two hours and 29 minutes, saving up to 58 minutes compared to other Hexie EMU train services between the two cities. Urumqi to Hami has become the seventh direction to offer one-seat direct train services, further enhancing the two-hour, three-hour, and four-hour rapid railway transportation circles centered around Urumqi and covering both the northern and southern slopes of the Tianshan Mountains.

"By utilizing existing train carriages and railway line resources, we've tapped into transportation potential, continuously optimized transport capacity and efficiency, and enriched passenger transport products, enabling Urumqi to achieve one-seat direct train services with seven important node cities within Xinjiang," said Yang Li.

In addition to operating one-seat direct passenger trains, Xinjiang Railway sector has also optimized the running time of trains in some directions and increased the frequency of passenger trains, further reducing travel time and facilitating the travel of passengers along the routes.

In February, Xinjiang Railway sector optimized and adjusted the operation schedule of the K9855/K9856 round-trip passenger trains between Urumqi and Tacheng. The entire journey from Urumqi to Tacheng now takes seven hours and 29 minutes, a reduction of four hours and 36 minutes compared to previous trains, significantly shortening the travel time between Tacheng Prefecture and Urumqi City. Starting from March, Xinjiang Railway sector added another pair of fast passenger trains between Urumqi City and Altay Prefecture. These trains operate along the Altay-Zhundong Railway, with the entire journey from Altay to Urumqi taking six hours and 54 minutes, a reduction of three and a half hours compared to previous trains.

"In the future, we will continue to focus on enhancing the quality of passenger transport product supply, improving the standard of passenger transport services, and innovating passenger transport business models, so as to provide the public with a more comfortable, attentive, and heartwarming travel experience," said Yang Li.

(A written permission shall be obtained for reprinting, excerpting, copying and mirroring of the contents published on this website. Unauthorized aforementioned act shall be deemed an infringement, of which the actor shall be held accountable under the law.)