Transport in Gansu province

The condition of Gansu province’s transport infrastructure has been greatly improved thanks to the support of the Ministry of Transport.

Inter-provincial traffic

Airlines

Lanzhou is one of the largest aviation hubs in Northwest China. There are about 40 route linking with major cities in China, which are often adjusted according to the actual needs of the season. They mainly fly to Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Chengdu, Hong Kong and nearly 30 other cities.

Jiayuguan Airport is located in Henggou village, at an altitude of 1,556 meters and 9 kilometers northeast of Jiayuguan city. There are weekly flights to Beijing, Lanzhou, Xi‘an and other places. The airport is 13 km northeast of the downtown area. A taxi to the airport from the downtown costs about 20 yuan ($2.9).

Railways

Lanzhou is the largest railway hub in Northwest China, with nearly 60 passenger trains passing through the city every day from cities across the country, including Beijing, Shanghai, Nanjing, Qingdao, Jinan, Changsha, Chengdu, Xi‘an and Urumqi.

Jiayuguan Railway Station is located on Yingbin West Road, only 5 km southwest of the city center, with trains running between Urumqi and Lanzhou, Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, Xi‘an and Zhengzhou, as well as other cities.

Ten pairs of passenger trains pass through Tianshui station every day, going directly to Urumqi, Xining, Dunhuang, Jiayuguan, Lanzhou, Xi’an, Luoyang, Zhengzhou, Jinan, Qingdao, Baoji, Chengdu, Shijiazhuang and Beijing and other places. It takes about four hours to go by train from Lanzhou to Tianshui.

Wuwei has two railway stations, with Wuwei South Station in Wunan town, 13 km southwest of the downtown area, and Wuwei Station in Wuwei’s urban area.

Highways

The main inter-provincial highways in Gansu province include:

National highway 109 – Beijing to Lhasa, via Yinchuan, Baiyin and Lanzhou toward Xining

National highway 312 – Shanghai to Yining, via Xi’an, Pingliang, Lanzhou, Wuwei, Zhangye, Jiayuguan, Anxi and Liuyuan toward Turpan

National highway 316 – Lanzhou to Fuzhou, from Lanzhou to Hanzhong and Ankang through Lintao, Longxi and Tianshui

National highway 212 – from Lanzhou to Chongqing, from Lanzhou to Guangyuan via Lintao and Wudu

National highway 213 – from Lanzhou through Linxia, Hezuo, Langmusi to Hongyuan and Chengdu

National highway 215 – from Golmud, Qinghai to Dunhuang

Provincial traffic

Airlines

Three cities in Gansu province have airports: Lanzhou, Jiayuguan and Dunhuang.

Lanzhou has 40 air routes, including flights to Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Xi’an, Chengdu, Nanjing, Hangzhou, Xiamen, Shenzhen, Dunhuang and Jiayuguan, with direct flights to more than 30 cities in China. The downtown area is 74.5 km from the airport, and it takes one hour to get there by expressway.

Jiayuguan Airport has fewer flights, and mainly operates round-trip flights to and from Dunhuang, Lanzhou and Xi’an. It is located 13 km northeast of Jiayuguan city, and has ticket offices in its downtown, Jiuquan and Yumen.

The utilization rate of Dunhuang Airport is higher than Jiayuguan Airport, especially during the tourist season. Dunhuang Airport, located 13 km east of Dunhuang city, has 38 flights regular flights per week to Lanzhou, Xi’an, Beijing, Jiayuguan, Urumqi and other cities. A taxi from the airport to the city area costs between 30 and 40 yuan.

Railways

Gansu is an important section of the east-west railway artery of China, where the four major railway lines – Lanzhou-Lianyungang, Lanzhou-Xinjiang, Lanzhou-Qinghai and Baotou-Lanzhou – meet here.

Highways

Gannan Tibetan autonomous prefecture, southwest of Gansu province, has not opened any railways yet, so it is more convenient to go in and out by coach.