In early autumn, the sun shines over Zhundong in Xinjiang. On the Gobi, coal chemical enterprises stand in clusters, and freight trains loaded with coal race along the Wulumuqi-Jiangjunmiao Railway. The Zhundong coalfield is the largest integrated coalfield in the country. Leveraging its geographical advantages, CR-Urumqi has continuously optimized transport organization and released channel capacity, enabling coal to flow out of the desert and light up thousands of homes. In 2024, coal shipments from Xinjiang to other regions reached 90.61 million tons, more than triple the volume in 2020. As of September 5, CR-Urumqi had shipped 63.3092 million tons of coal out of Xinjiang this year, a year-on-year increase of 7.76 percent.

　　The Wulumuqi-Jiangjunmiao Railway began operation in 2012. In 2022, it was upgraded from a branch line to a main line, with annual freight volume soaring from 56.48 million tons to 108 million tons. It has become the core channel for coal transport in Xinjiang and an important energy artery driving the construction of the core area of the Silk Road Economic Belt. This railway across the Gobi is writing the story of Xinjiang's coal transport into the flow of China.