New railway line between China and Kazakhstan to strengthen Khorgos - Tang Shisheng

"The new rail link will significantly strengthen the position of Xinjiang in the implementation of the strategy of "expanding openness to the West", said the Chinese official.
Official opening of the second railway crossing between Kazakhstan and China took place on December 22. The agreement on commissioning of the border railway crossing "Altynkol-Khorgos" was reached during the visit of President Nursultan Nazarbayev to China in June 2012.
The new railway crossing will relieve the only railway line between China and Kazakhstan through the border crossing "Alatau", which was launched 20 years ago. During this period, the annual freight turnover has increased tenfold - from 160 thousand tons in 1991 to 15.6 million tons in 2012. Freight turnover of the new cross-border line will be 10 million tons by 2015.