New rail to reinforce region's economy

Construction of a railway linking Hotan prefecture and Ruoqiang county in Xinjiang will start at the end of this year and is ultimately expected to boost development in southern Xinjiang, the local railway authority said.

Spanning 826 kilometers, the railway will have 69 stops and a top speed of 120 kilometers per hour, according to the China Railway Corp Urumqi Bureau.

With a planned investment of 22.2 billion yuan ($3.24 billion), the project, which will take three and a half years to complete, is expected to help boost the local economy and support poverty alleviation projects, the bureau said.