It was Xinjiang's only rail link with the rest of China until the opening of the Lanzhou–Xinjiang high-speed railway in December 2014.

From Lanzhou, the line heads west, across the Yellow River, into the Hexi Corridor, where it passes through Gansu cities Wuwei, Jinchang, Zhangye, Jiuquan and Jiayuguan, en route to Xinjiang.

陈官营 - 西固城 - 坡底下 - 河口南 Lanzhou–Qinghai railway 大路 - 新屯川 - 华家山 - 龙泉寺 - 马家坪 永登 - 中堡 - 屯沟湾 - 富强堡 - 天祝 石门河 - 安家河 - 打柴沟 - 深沟 - 岔西滩 金强河 - 乌鞘岭 - 青河 - 安远镇 - 沙沟台 龙沟 - 柳家台 - 十八里堡 - 古浪 - 小桥堡 双塔 - 黄羊镇 - 头坝河 北河 - 槐安 - 截河坝 - 青山堡 - 宗家庄 东大山 - 玉石 - 芨岭 - 尖山 - 大青田口 马莲井 - 东明 - 山丹 - 东乐 - 西屯 - 太平堡 乌江堡 - 平原堡 - 临泽 - 新华庄 - 高台 梧桐泉 - 许三湾 - 屯升 丰乐滩 - 上河清 - 金佛寺 - 红山堡 Jiuquan–Ejin railway 大草滩 - 黑山湖 - 玉门 - 新民堡 - 鄯马河 腰泉子 - 五华山 玉门镇 - 军垦 疏勒河 - 河东 - 桥湾 - 柳沟 Dunhuang Railway - 安北 金泉 - 石板墩 - 峡东 - 峡口 The railway's northern branch extends 477 kilometres from Ürümqi to Alataw Pass (its westernmost point), where China's Alashankou railway station is connected to Kazakhstan's Dostyk station.

The railway also has a southern branch, which splits off the main line near Turpan (east of Ürümqi), and runs west to Kashgar at the westernmost tip of the country.

[2] The line is mostly parallel to the existing Lanxin railway, with the exception of also serving Xining, Qinghai rather than staying entirely within Gansu province on the way to Xinjiang.