Xinjiang's railway freight volume up 4.2 pct in first half of 2026

Shiliuyun-Xinjiang Daily (Reporter Lu Fengbao) news: In the first half of this year, railway freight volume in Xinjiang reached 123 million tons, up 4.2 percent year on year, according to China Railway Urumqi Group Co., Ltd.

Cottonseed is loaded onto freight trains at a railway station in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

Since the start of the year, Xinjiang has focused on development with steady economic performance. Growing demand for bulk commodities has created more opportunities for railway transport.

Xinjiang railway authorities have concentrated transport resources and launched the branded "Xuelian Express" freight service. New transport models such as cotton trains combined with mixed cargo consolidation have been introduced to expand cargo sourcing and meet the needs of key goods including coal, fertilizer, cotton and grain.

Capacity expansion projects have been carried out to remove transport bottlenecks. On May 20, a major milestone was reached in the capacity expansion of the Aksu to Bachu section on the southern Xinjiang Railway. Eight new passing loops were opened, increasing the daily number of passenger and freight trains on this section to 30 pairs.

To improve freight efficiency and quality, Xinjiang railway authorities have shifted their focus from transport to logistics, from passive service to proactive engagement, and from management to customer-oriented service. They have refined their market-based and networked marketing systems, expanded integrated logistics contracting and contract-based transport services, and made full use of capacity guarantee policies to meet agreed shipping volumes.

Coal remains the bedrock of railway freight volumes. To safeguard energy supplies, Xinjiang railway authorities have tapped into information-sharing mechanisms with coal and power industry alliances. They have rolled out tailored transport plans for individual enterprises and strictly enforced a mutual guarantee system for capacity and volume across peak and off-peak seasons. The share of heavy-haul train services has also been increased.

In addition, cross-bureau freight trains and bulk direct trains have been put into operation. A network of 36 cross-bureau coal transport routes has been mapped out, with detailed loading plans to ensure coal is both loaded and shipped without delays. In the first half of this year, coal shipments from Xinjiang to other regions reached 49.65 million tons, up 8.5 percent year on year.

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