Construction of three railroads will be commenced in vast Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in northwest China, a regional government official announced here this week.

The double-track railway line between Urumqi, the regional capital, and Jinghe will be built in 2006 and become operational in 2007, while the Turpan-Korla double-track and Kuytun-Karamay single-track line are scheduled to be completed in 2008, Wang Lequan, secretary of the Xinjiang regional committee of the Communist Party of China, said at a local celebration held on Wednesday.

Construction of the three railway lines will not only alleviate tight transport but also help develop rich natural resources in the region, Wang said.

An improved railway network in Xinjiang also plays an important role in collocating resources in western China where energy resource distribution is badly unbalanced.

Xinjiang possesses 25 percent of China's total oil and natural gas reserves. Its coal reserve makes up 40 percent of the national total. Nearly 80 percent of above-said resources are shipped to various parts of China by rail.

(Xinhua News Agency December 31, 2005)