China to launch Beijing-Urumqi high-speed rail link in sweeping timetable overhaul

China is set to introduce a revised national rail timetable from 1 July, with the centrepiece of the shake-up being a new high-speed train service linking the capital, Beijing, with Urumqi, the largest city in the far-western Xinjiang region.

The addition of the Beijing-Urumqi route marks a significant expansion of China's high-speed rail network, bringing faster connectivity between the country's political and economic heartland and one of its most remote regional centres.

The timetable change will affect services across the national network, reflecting China's continued investment in high-speed rail infrastructure as a means of integrating distant regions with major urban centres.