V. Transportation

Railways:

The Baotou-Lanzhou Railway passes through northern and central Ningxia, and the Zhongwei-Baoji Electrified Railway, the second passage from the coastal areas to the northwest, turns Ningxia into a vital point on the “second Eurasian bridge.” The completion of the electrification of the Baotou-Lanzhou Railway will further improve transport facilities in the autonomous region.

Highways:

The length of highways open to traffic increases at a speed of 330 kilometers yearly. The total length of highways is 8,700 kilometers, including 7,900 kilometers of various grades. Ningxia is one of China’s provinces and autonomous regions with a dense distribution of highways. Yinchuan is the center of a network composed of 13 national and provincial highways as well as more than 100 county and township highways that lead to all parts of the autonomous region.

Waterways:

Six highway bridges have been built over the 397-kilometer section of the Huanghe River flowing through Ningxia, averaging one bridge on every 66 kilometers of the river course. Construction of the seventh bridge is now under way.

Airports:

In September 1999, the Hedong Airport in Yinchuan, a fourth-degree modern airport which allows various large- and medium-size aircrafts to take off and land, went into operation. Yinchuan has air routes to Beijing, Shanghai, Xi’an, Guangzhou, Foshan, Chengdu, Urumqi, Wuhan, and Chongqing and formed an aviation network leading to north, southeast, and southwest China.