Passengers wait to board a train at Akto Railway Station in Akto County, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Aug. 18, 2025. (Xinhua/Jia Zhao)

URUMQI, Sept. 21 (Xinhua) -- For tourists, Akto County in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region has many attractions, such as snow-crowned peaks, glacier-blue lakes and candy-sweet apricots.

Beyond these famous Xinjiang drawcards, there is also a lesser-known landmark located on the desert edge -- a small railway station that marks the westernmost point of China's vast national rail network.

Akto Railway Station is situated in the south-by-southwest of Xinjiang, approximately 4,000 km from Beijing and over 1,500 km from Urumqi, the regional capital. This railway line has remained non-electrified since its launch in 2011, with train operations continuing to rely on diesel-powered locomotives.

It carries the daily Train No. 7557 -- which runs from Urumqi to the less-developed Hotan Prefecture, linking 32 stations. While most bullet trains in China travel at speeds exceeding 250 km per hour, this train averages less than 80 km per hour.

Despite its remote location, modest infrastructure and unhurried pace, this station plays a key role in serving hundreds of thousands of passengers in multi-ethnic southern Xinjiang -- connecting them to wider opportunities and communities.

Fourteen years ago, when Akto Railway Station was opened in the Kizilsu Kirgiz Autonomous Prefecture, it sparked excitement across the region. At that time, train services in Urumqi had been running for nearly five decades, but many people in this remote county had never seen a train before. They came specifically to the station just to witness the legendary "iron beast" with their own eyes.

Li Jianxiang, the station's second stationmaster, recalled that in those early years, whenever a train arrived, children and adults would gather and press their faces to the waiting room windows, with wide eyes watching the train rolling in. Li still remembers how he wiped the window glass many times a day to clear away handprints.

Back then, the station was the tallest building in the county -- and soon became a popular spot for local couples when taking wedding photos.

Aliya Abdurehim, 29, said she once left her small handprints on the waiting room window 14 years ago while spotting trains. After university graduation in Kashgar, a large city in southern Xinjiang, she returned to Akto and became a ticket seller at the station.

"I felt so proud and thrilled," Aliya recalled. "As a child, I used to think only big cities had trains. So I felt like my hometown was growing into a big city, too."

Later, she took the train to study in Kashgar. "When I saw folks carrying their luggage, heading to other cities or outside Xinjiang to strive for a better life, and others returning home to embrace their families, I felt that this station was a window connecting my hometown with the wider world," Aliya said.

She never imagined that many years later, she would become one of the people responsible for safeguarding this "window."

Aliya has met many first-time travelers unfamiliar with ticket machines, train schedules and boarding processes -- some locals even arrived a day early!

Also, farmers and herders in Akto once traveled by donkey carts. They thought it was natural to wait until everyone had arrived before setting off, and found it incredible that the train could not wait just a little longer for those still on their way.

"The hardest part of the job is helping locals living in the hinterland get to know the rules of taking a train in modern society," Aliya said.

Assisting passengers in getting on and off the train is a daily routine for the 10 staff members at the railway station. But occasionally, there are some special arrivals, making the quiet station suddenly lively.

Unlike big city high-speed trains that restrict strong odors, the slow train in Xinjiang has since 2021 provided passengers with a unique feast of smells -- as farmers living along the railway selling local specialties such as fruits, flowers, yogurt and kebabs are allowed to move between carriages, thereby creating a pathway out of poverty for locals.

Some refer to the train service as a "mobile bazaar," with the word bazaar meaning market in Uygur.

Apart from purchasing fresh homegrown specialties, passengers aboard the service can also enjoy spontaneous performances from song-and-dance-loving Xinjiang people.

Every time the "mobile bazaar" passes through, it is a busy occasion for the Akto station. All staff work together in advance of such bazaar visits, making thoughtful arrangements for boarding and drop-off.

Before boarding the train, these fresh local specialties and performers wearing ethnic costumes always fill the station with tempting aromas, bright colors and joyful laughter.

In recent years, the number of passengers traveling by train from the Akto station has increased significantly. Currently, the peak flow reaches an average of two to three hundred travelers per day.

This year marks the 70th anniversary of the establishment of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. Seven decades ago, there were no railways in Xinjiang.

The Lanzhou-Xinjiang railway was completed in December 1962. Since then, Xinjiang's railways have grown significantly -- crossing mountains, passing through deserts and across plateaus, thereby enhancing connectivity in this region.

Today, Xinjiang's rail network spans over 9,200 km -- while passenger traffic had surpassed 50 million rides in 2024.

Tourism in Xinjiang has flourished in recent years, and the train journey has transformed from a simple mode of transport into a must-experience attraction for visitors. At Akto station's waiting room today, travelers speak a variety of dialects. Notably, during the busy tourist season, trains are nearly full on every trip.

"The Akto station has only one platform. It is small and quiet, far from the rush of big-city terminals. You can feel a peaceful warmth here. Stand on the platform, and you can watch the train roll in to the rhythmic clank-clank of steel wheels. Time seems to slow, drawing you into the quiet charm that only such a small station can offer," a visitor commented on the online travel platform Ctrip.

"The station staff, kind and attentive, give travelers a sense of security and belonging," this visitor added. ■