Gansu betting on rail network for growth

The northwestern province of Gansu plans to have a railroad of 6,000 kilometers by the end of this year, as it steps up efforts to cash in on trade opportunities arising from the development of the Silk Road Economic Belt, senior provincial officials said on Monday.

Liu Weiping, the provincial governor and deputy to the National People's Congress, said all the 14 cities and autonomous prefectures in the province will be connected through the railroad this year, and give Gansu an edge over coastal provinces in the competition for industrial and infrastructure facilities.

"The railway network development will facilitate Gansu's exports of agricultural, heavy industry and new energy products to Central Asia and Eastern Europe through international rail cargo services," Liu said. "This will create more jobs in the service-related sectors from a long-term perspective."