Xinjiang, China Opens New 3,240-Ton Point-to-Point Circular Coal Transportation Route

en.Wedoany.com Reported - On October 28, China's first "point-to-point" circular route for transporting Xinjiang coal out of the region was officially opened. Train No. 29013, an open-top container dedicated train fully loaded with 3,240 tons of coal, departed from the Zhundong East Hope Railway Dedicated Line in Xinjiang and headed for Mianchi Station in Sanmenxia City, Henan Province. The new route is jointly organized by China Railway Urumqi Group Co., Ltd. and China Railway Zhengzhou Group Co., Ltd., adopting a two-way heavy-haul circular transportation model of alumina into Xinjiang and coal out of Xinjiang.

The new route connects the Zhundong coal production base in Xinjiang with the industrial raw material supply area in Sanmenxia, Henan. Based on the demand for outbound coal transportation from Zhundong and inbound alumina transportation to Xinjiang from Henan, the railway departments of the two regions adjusted cargo packaging and vehicle organization methods. Zhengzhou Group adopted waterproof bags to wrap alumina, enabling alumina, which previously relied mainly on 20-foot general-purpose containers for transportation, to use vehicles compatible with coal transportation.

Under the new transportation organization plan, after vehicles loaded with alumina bound for Henan arrive in Zhundong, the unloaded vehicles can load coal nearby and return to Henan, reducing long-distance empty vehicle runs and the vehicle assembly process before coal loading. Urumqi Group is responsible for coordinating cargo sources and loading organization on the Xinjiang side, while Zhengzhou Group participates in cargo source matching and transportation method adjustments on the Henan side. The two groups jointly implement cross-regional circular transportation.

The Xinjiang railway department has simultaneously expanded the scale of inbound cargo organization. As of late October, the volume of alumina transported under the "bringing heavy cargo into Xinjiang" initiative reached 8.176 million tons, with 140,000 empty vehicles utilized after unloading. From January to September 2026, Xinjiang's railway coal outbound transportation volume reached 78.047 million tons, a year-on-year increase of 11%.