On the vast Gobi Desert of Hami, Xinjiang and the 13th Division of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, a steel dragon connecting billions of tons of coal reserves is advancing along the preliminary design blueprint.

Recently, the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps Public Resource Trading Platform once again announced that the winning candidate for the preliminary design consultation of Section 3 of the Sannaoyi Railway is the Planning and Standards Research Institute of the National Railway Administration, marking the final stage of the preliminary design work for the entire freight railway line.

At the same time, the project issued a bidding announcement for "Environmental Protection Supervision and Monitoring", covering a total of 444.312 kilometers and requiring full monitoring of the environment throughout the construction period, with a duration of 1095 days.

Project Overview

The Sannaoyi Railway is advancing at a visible speed. The project has been approved by the Development and Reform Commission of Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, and will be promoted by Xinjiang Sannaoyi Railway Co., Ltd. as the tenderer.

The project starts from the Chahaquan mining area in the north, connects with the Santanghu mining area and Hongshan Industrial Park in the south, crosses the eastern Tianshan Mountains after passing through Naomao Lake, and finally arrives at Luoyi Station in the Luotuoquan Industrial Park. This railway is a dedicated freight railway mainly used for transporting coal, serving the Hami Energy and Chemical Carbon Neutrality Demonstration Base and the surrounding parks, while also serving the function of "connecting the east and exporting the west".

construction status

According to the latest developments, the preliminary design of the Sannaoyi Railway has entered the final stage. The winning bidders for the first and second sections of the preliminary design consultation are both China Railway Eryuan Engineering Group Co., Ltd., responsible for the preliminary design consultation services for 4.232 kilometers west of Luoyi Station and approximately 220 kilometers long for the second section. The third section was awarded to the Planning and Standards Research Institute of the National Railway Administration, responsible for the design consultation of the remaining approximately 204.96 kilometers.

The project has not only progressed smoothly in the design phase, but the foundational work before construction has also been fully carried out. In November 2025, the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Earthquake Risk Prevention and Control Center won the bid for the earthquake safety evaluation of the project. At the same time, the project also carried out environmental supervision and monitoring bidding simultaneously, and the winning bidder will be responsible for environmental supervision work during the construction period of up to three years.

Private forces

It is worth noting that this railway project is in line with the Hongnao San Railway, which was led by private enterprises ten years ago.

In 2012, Guanghui Energy, as the main investor, launched the construction of the Hongnao San Railway, which was then known as the longest private railway in the country.

Guanghui Energy holds 82.3% of Hongnao San Railway Company, with a total investment of 10.868 billion yuan, becoming the first railway in Xinjiang controlled by a private enterprise. The construction of this railway has solved the transportation problem of coal mines under Guanghui Energy.

Compared with the Hongnao San Railway of the past, the current San Naoyi Railway is more innovative in investment and operation mode. At the end of March this year, a consortium consisting of China Railway First Group Co., Ltd. and China Railway First Survey and Design Institute Group Co., Ltd. won the bid for the "New Santanghu Naomaohu Luoyi Freight Dedicated Railway Project (Long term Equity Investment+EPC+Operation)" with a bid price of 16.768 billion yuan.

This comprehensive model that integrates long-term equity investment, design, procurement, construction, and operation provides a new path for the investment, financing, construction, and operation of large-scale infrastructure projects.

In July 2024, the dedicated railway for the Camel Circle Industrial Park, which connects with the Sannaoyi Railway, has officially started construction. The planned transportation capacity in the near future is 6.35 million tons per year, and the future transportation capacity can reach 35 million tons per year.

The construction of the Sannaoyi Railway not only connects coal mines and industrial parks, but also continues the breakthrough of private capital entering the railway construction field more than a decade ago. Keywords: Construction Strategy News, Construction, Freight Railway

Nowadays, with the launch of environmental supervision bidding and the steady progress of design work, this 444 kilometer energy channel is gradually moving from drawings to reality.Editor/Cheng Liting