More than 4,000 passengers had their train rides canceled or delayed Monday morning after torrential rain and flooding hit the Nanjiang Railway in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, local authorities said.

A section of rail between Bapanmo Station and Atux Station in Kizilsu Kirgiz Autonomous Prefecture was cut at around 6 a.m., forcing passenger and freight trains to a halt, a Urumqi Railway Bureau spokesman said.

Four trains scheduled to run between Xinjiang's capital, Urumqi, and Kashi City between Monday and Wednesday have been canceled or delayed.

Work crews with heavy machinery have rushed to the scene to repair the railway. The repair work is expected to finish Monday.

The affected passengers will have the cost of their train ticket refunded.

The 1,446-km-long Nanjiang Railway links Turpan City in the north of the region to Kashi City in the south.

(Xinhua News Agency September 21, 2010)