Heilongjiang to operate Harbin-Altay summer tourist trains

A press conference about the "Longtai" tourist trains is held by Heilongjiang Province's information office on May 15. [Photo/hlj.gov.cn]

Heilongjiang province will again operate tourist trains this summer between Harbin, capital city of Heilongjiang, and Altay city in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region. That's according to a press conference held by the province's government information office on May 15.

The special train service is Heilongjiang's bid to boost economic and cultural communications between the two cities. Officials said that in addition it is also a measure by Heilongjiang province to help Altay rid itself of poverty by developing the tourism industry.

The "Longtai" tourist trains operate from July to September, making 10 journeys along the 9,000-kilometer railway route and crossing 33 cities in 10 provinces and autonomous regions.

The trains will pass through Heilongjiang province, Inner Mongolia autonomous region, Gansu province, and Ningxia Hui autonomous region, before finally arriving in Altay city. The service offers tourists a chance to appreciate the beautiful scenery, including dense forests, vast grasslands, desolate deserts and majestic mountains.

Officials said the rail service is mainly targeted at middle aged and elderly tourists. The trains are equipped with modern facilities with comfortable beds, allowing customers the opportunity to enjoy a pleasant journey at a slow pace over a 15-day travel period.

Since launching the service in 2017, a total of 12 tourist trains have operated on the same railway travel route, bringing around 14,000 tourists to Altay.

Altay is located in the northern part of Xinjiang, bordering Kazakhstan, Russia and Mongolia. It has a population of 670,000 people, including 39 ethnic groups such as Kazakh, Han, Hui, Uygur and Mongolian peoples. The Kazakhs account for more than half of the total population.

In addition to its rich minority ethnic groups' culture, Altay has more than 200 scenic areas with magnificent natural landscapes, including glacial rivers, forest grasslands, alpine valleys, lakes, wetlands and the Gobi and other deserts.

Meanwhile, the city is an ideal summer resort due to its cool temperatures during summer.