Apart from Inner Mongolia and Xinjiang, the line also crosses the Subei Mongol Autonomous County, the sliver of Gansu Province that extends to the Mongolian border.
Construction began on June 30, 2014 and was slated to take three years,[1] but the line opened only 17 months later on December 1, 2015.
[3] The Ejin–Hami railway is part of a rail corridor that will extend from Tianjin, on the Bohai Gulf in North China to Torugart Pass on the border with Kyrgyzstan.
[4] Stations along route include Heiyingshan, Mazongshan, Mingshui, Wutongshui, Luotuoquanzi.
[4] The line passes through desert wilderness with no water, electricity, cell phone signal or road transportation.