Urumqi train station has played a key role in Xinjiang’s development. It still does as a matter of fact…for every 100 people that enter Xinjiang through the airport, there are 400 more that enter through the train station.

If anyone ever doubted the strategic importance China places on northern Xinjiang, this last week ended the debate. The provincial government recently announced (here in English) the completion of four new rail lines stretching a total of 1,400km, a project that cost 1.68 billion yuan ($243 million USD). Unlike the Urumqi-Kashgar line opened a decade ago, however, most tourists (including me) aren’t likely to care much about traveling these new routes that basically lead to nowhere.

A guide to taking a train in Urumqi and what to expect when you’re traveling in Xinjiang

Getting your hands on good train tickets in any major Chinese city during the Spring Festival is without a doubt one of the most difficult tasks known to man. Right now tickets halls from Beijing to Shanghai to Xi’an are packed with people who wait countless hours in line for the chance to buy tickets to be with their families back home, an ordered chaos that is led primarily by a fearless group of people known as migrant workers.

From 2006 to 2010 – a mere four years – China’s railway system will have grown an astounding 17.5%! As if that weren’t enough, last weekend China’s State Council just approved 2 trillion yuan ($292 billion) to expand the rail system even more…all of this in the midst of a worldwide financial crisis. Thankfully, all this change is actually going to affect us here in Xinjiang.