Taking the Train to Explore Altai

On March 28th, the Altai-Beitun-Haihai Tourist Express Train operated grandly, which is a milestone event in the history of county-level transportation in the Altai region and an important measure to accelerate the development of the tourism industry.

On March 28th, K6744 city tourist train departed from Altai Railway Station, via Beitun to Haihai Station, taking 1 hour and 22 minutes.

A cadre from the Tiesgang Community of Altai City said: ‘Taking a city tourist train to Beitun, the train ticket only costs 12.5 yuan, which is cheap and safe. If we take it on a weekend morning to go shopping and return to Altai by train in the afternoon, it doesn’t delay at all, it’s very convenient.’

A passenger from Altai, Liu Mou, experienced this maiden train. She excitedly said: ‘Before, it took more than two hours to return to Haihai. Now it only takes one and a half hours, and there are four trains a day, which is very convenient.’

It is understood that after the opening of the four pairs of trains, the tourist train commuting between the two areas can reach six pairs, providing tourists between Altai, Beitun and Haihai with a safer, faster, more convenient, comfortable and affordable travel way. This high-value railway transportation also makes the travel experience of tourists more comfortable.

Wang Junan, member of the Altai Municipal Party Committee and Deputy Executive Councilor of the Administration, said: ‘In recent years, Altai has firmly grasped the opportunities for the implementation of the Xinjiang’s tourism-led development strategy, adhering to the principle of “tourism as the main industry, leading the first industry and supporting the second industry”, accelerating the completion of the shortcomings of tourism infrastructure, and focusing on building a comprehensive transportation system of ‘main line flying to the whole country, branch line flying to the whole country, aviation to counties and cities, and helicopter to scenic spots’. The Altai-Urumqi railway has been opened and in operation, the Altai-Karamaya railway segment is about to be electrified and accelerated, and the Afuzhou Railway will be completed and in August this year, and the three-dimensional transportation network of Altai region is becoming increasingly perfect. The opening of Altai-Beitun-Haihai tourist express train has woven a dense transportation network, enriched tourism routes, expanded channels for interactive and integrated development between garrison areas and cities, and promoted ‘sitting on a train to travel in Altai’ and ‘Altai people travel in Altai.’