Xinjiang Launches Nation's First "Cotton + General Cargo" Consolidated Freight Train Service; Rail Cotton Transport Volume Surges

Today (April 10), a "Snow Lotus Express" freight train—loaded with 1,118 tons of cotton—departed from Bachu Station in Xinjiang, bound for Duko Station in Zibo City, Shandong Province, to meet the production demands of downstream textile enterprises. This also marks the nationwide debut of a pioneering new model introduced by Xinjiang's railway authorities: the "Snow Lotus Express" service, which combines dedicated cotton trains with consolidated freight trains for general cargo, thereby establishing a rapid transport corridor for cotton and cotton textile products.

Since the beginning of the year, driven by robust demand for the transport of cotton and cotton textiles, Xinjiang's railway authorities have—based on the distribution characteristics of the region's major cotton-producing areas—identified 12 standardized loading stations and 26 regulated loading points. Leveraging this infrastructure, they have launched large-scale operations of the "Snow Lotus Express" cotton trains; traveling at speeds of up to 120 kilometers per hour, these trains have reduced transit times to just three days, ensuring highly efficient, direct-route delivery. Concurrently, the authorities have developed a dedicated operational model for consolidated general cargo trains, enabling cargo to be assembled at nearby hubs and shipped directly to destinations, thereby fostering a steady increase in cotton transport volumes.

This year, the network of dedicated freight routes for Xinjiang's cotton and cotton yarn has expanded to seven lines. To date, Xinjiang's railway system has transported 493,000 tons of cotton—a year-on-year increase of 196.8%—injecting fresh momentum into the development of Xinjiang's cotton and textile industries, and contributing significantly to the comprehensive revitalization of the region's rural areas.