By Wu Longhui
　　
　　At 9:06 a.m., the C982 Fuxing intercity train departed from the platform of Korla Railway Station in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, traveling at 120 kilometers per hour toward Ruoqiang Railway Station in the heart of the Taklamakan desert.
　　On January 26 this year, the intercity EMU train between Korla and Ruoqiang was officially launched. Along the edge of the desert, the journey takes 3 hours and 58 minutes one way, creating a convenient same-day round-trip travel zone.
　　This is the only intercity train in Xinjiang that originates from a county-level city, and it is also the first Fuxing train in China to run into the Taklamakan desert.
　　The Taklamakan Desert, known as the "Sea of Death," has long been plagued by sandstorms. Today, the steel rails resonates with the heartbeat of the desert.
　　On this train, red date trader Zhang Suixian sat by the window, watching vast stretches of poplar forests zip by outside. "Back in the day, camel caravans needed months to make these journeys", he said. "Now, it only takes a few hours. The railway has brought prosperity to our doorstep, and it’s also sharing the legend of ancient Loulan with the world."
　　Ruoqiang county, nestled on the southeastern edge of the Taklamakan Desert near Lop Nur , was once the central hub of the southern route of the ancient Silk Road. Deep within the desert sands was the ancient kingdom of Loulan. For centuries, sandstorms swept across the region, turning the once-bustling Silk Road passages into desolate Gobi wilderness. Isolated by geography, Ruoqiang remained hidden in the desert.
　　Now, the whistle of the Fuxing high-speed train echoes where camel bells once rang for a thousand years. The steel rail races across the desert, reviving the once-silent homeland of ancient Loulan into a vital transportation artery connecting east and west once again, allowing the cultural lifeblood of the ancient Silk Road to surge anew in the modern era.
　　This year, Ruoqiang Railway Station experienced its first Spring Festival travel rush since its launch.

　　A Modern Route Across the Ancient Desert
　　On December 9, 2020, the Geku railway, the first outbound railway logistics corridor in southern Xinjiang, was fully opened. Since then, the bottleneck for transporting goods in and out of the Tarim Basin has been eliminated. This railway has also become an important inland corridor connecting China to West Asia and Eastern Europe within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative.
　　In June 2022, the Ruoqiang-Hetian section opened, linking up with the previously inaugurated Geku railway and Southern Xinjiang Railway, marking the completion of a rail loop around the Taklamakan Desert.
　　The safe operation of this railway relies on a group of silent guardians who watch over it.
　　The Geku railway had barely opened in 2020 when officers from the Ruoqiang station of the Korla division of the Urumqi Railway Public Security Bureau arrived, establishing an unbreakable barrier for the safe operation of the railway in Ruoqiang.
　　In September 2020, the first batch of advance police officers traveled by vehicle from Korla, journeying deep into the Taklamakan desert. After a full day of travel, they arrived in Ruoqiang county.
　　During their journey Xue Long, the political instructor at Ruoqiang Police Station, felt a sinking feeling as he saw dust gradually settling up on the car’s dashboard.
　　Xue told the correspondent that when he first set foot here, he struggled with the scorching sun and the waves of heat mixed with yellow sand that blew into his face. Driving on the desert highway, he saw emptiness in all directions, with the sky and land merging into one.
　　It was a feeling of being stranded in the middle of nowhere. It was a degree of disorientation, geographical and psychological.
　　Ma Jianhu, who arrived three months later, felt the same way. As one of the first officers at Ruoqiang police station, the sudden contrast, moving from a bustling metropolis to remote Ruoqiang, left him bewildered.
　　The weight of the mission dawned on Xue and his colleagues.
　　Despite the harsh environment, their morale was high. The officers began everything from the ground up. They systematically tackled tasks such as gathering preliminary data for the new police station, building working relationships with local authorities, and conducting campaigns to promote railway safety laws.
　　However, difficulties soon began to emerge.
　　In the first year after the railway opened, there were more than 50 incidents of sheep trespassing the protective fence and encroaching on the railway lines within their jurisdiction.
　　Recalling his initial work when he arrived, Xue admitted that "for a while, I was at a loss."
　　Now that they were there, they were determined to do their best. With strong resolve, Xue and the other officers focused on finding ways to improve railway safety awareness among the local communities along the line.
　　The efforts of just three officers would be far from enough, so they decided to join forces with the local government to handle the situation.
　　The first task for the officers was to visit, one by one, the relevant local government departments. After securing their support, they jointly signed the Railway Safety and Legal Awareness Promotion Agreement with 11 organizations, clearly defining each unit’s responsibilities for safety publicity and translating commitments to railway protection into concrete obligations.
　　They then distributed legal-awareness materials, including railway safety presentations, micro-animations, and leaflets on railway accident cases, to the heads of the relevant departments and organizations in Ruoqiang county, and conducted focused safety education campaigns for primary and secondary school students as well as residents living along the railway.
　　Through close coordination, a full-time patrol and protection team was established in the Ruoqiang infrastructure section, while the Ruoqiang County Political and Legal Affairs Commission organized part-time railway protection teams in each township.
　　In addition, local herders formed volunteer railway protection squads. The Loulan Iron Cavalry, a Communist Party-led railway protection team safeguarding 395 kilometers of railway within the jurisdiction, was formed, led by Ruoqiang police station and supported by multiple agencies.
　　The police station also collaborated with the major livestock owners and herders from the villages of Wudulesitang, Yingsu Animal Husbandry, and Jinhuyang on both sides of the railway. They created QR codes containing the herders’ names and contact information, printed them on plastic tags, and attached them to the ears of the sheep. More than 6,000 livestock were issued with their own ID cards.
　　"Do not burn vegetation within 50 meters of the railway, and do not let sheep graze near the railway fence…" The officers had repeated these reminders so many times, they had lost count.
　　Their efforts have paid off: since December 2023, there have been no further incidents of cattle or sheep breaching protective fences and encroaching on the railway within the police station’s jurisdiction.
　　While conducting anti-fraud campaigns, railway safety training, and fire safety awareness, the officers on patrol not only performed their regular duties and kept in close contact with local villagers, but also focused on an equally important mission: solving the real-life problems faced by people living along the railway.
　　In June 2022, the Ruoqiang-Hetian railway line opened. Four months later, during a visit to Jinghuyang village in Washixia town, Ruoqiang county, the police officers were informed by villagers that the culverts previously built along the railway were too low, blocking cotton-picking machines from accessing the cotton fields.
　　Upon learning of the issue, Ruoqiang police station liaised with the Ruoqiang Infrastructure Section to address the villagers’ concerns. Acting as a bridge between the community and technical authorities, the station helped coordinate a solution: after professional evaluation, the bottoms of two culverts near the 99-kilometer mark of the Ruoqiang-Hetian line were lowered by 30 centimeters. This adjustment allowed cotton-picking machines to pass safely, solving a critical problem for the local farmers while maintaining railway safety.
　　On the day the construction was completed, Xue deliberately adjusted his shift to be on site to watch. Only after seeing the cotton harvesting machine pass through the culvert safely did he let out a sigh of relief.
　　"Thank you, officers! Don’t worry, we’ll help keep an eye on the railway safety around here!" the villagers chimed in.
　　"A new friend means another pair of eyes to spot potential hazards," said Xue, while he and his colleagues carried out legal-awareness campaigns with every member of the community in their jurisdiction, often visiting herders and schools. In everyone’s mind, Xue became a trusted police officer. Under his guidance, there are more herders volunteering to guard the railway.
　　In September 2021, fficer Ma was patrolling the railway line when he spotted Maimaiti Kurban, a villager from Yingsu animal husbandry village, standing on the tracks and looking around. Ma immediately approached and escorted him out of the railway’s protective fence.
　　When asked why he had climbed over the railway’s protective fence, Maimaiti Kurban explained that he was grazing his sheep nearby. The grass was too tall, and he had lost track of two of them. Thinking the railway embankment was higher ground, he climbed up to try to spot his missing sheep.
　　In response, the officers contacted the Ruoqiang County Political and Legal Affairs Commission and the Railway Protection Office. They took advantage of the legal-awareness training session following the Monday flag-raising ceremony to conduct railway safety education for villagers in 17 administrative villages across four townships in the county.
　　The campaign helped residents understand the importance of railway safety and the dangers of entering the railway’s protective fence, effectively eliminating potential safety hazards.
　　Later, Maimaiti Kuerban voluntarily joined the part-time railway protection team in his village. While grazing his livestock, he also helps the police carry out railway protection work.
　　Braving the Sandstorm
　　"A sandstorm is kicking up again, we have to check the tracks!" Brushing the dust off his trousers, Xue picked up his work bag and, together with line patrol officer Ma and Dong Xin, plunged into the vast desert.
　　That day, they were tasked with patrolling the section of the Ruoqiang–Hetian railway line from kilometer 40 to kilometer 110. Their focus was inspecting the Tatelerke Ruomin Expressway Bridge, checking for debris inside the protective fence that strong winds might blow onto the tracks. They also carefully examined whether the fence was intact, whether gaps at the bottom were too wide, and whether any surrounding hazards could threaten the railway’s safety, ensuring the protective fence remained in good condition.
　　Since the railway runs close to a national highway, they’ve got to raise safety awareness among self-driving tourists, who might stop nearby to collect so-called precious stones .
　　The car wheels rolled over the Gobi desert wilderness. Sparse poplar trees stood tall amid dunes, while yellow sand swirled through the air, constantly beating against the car windows with a rustling sound.
　　Cold wind carrying fine sand swept under the bridge as Xue, Ma, and Dong, wearing reflective vests and carrying their equipment, carefully inspected the railway bridge.
　　"Officer Dong, check the rescue passage entrance first," Ma’s voice carried clearly over the wind on the bridge. The two of them hurried toward the rescue door in the middle of the bridge. The bright red metal door bore a conspicuous sign reading "For Emergency Rescue Only."
　　Officer Ma grasped the door handle and pulled gently. The door opened smoothly without any jamming. "The hinges are well lubricated, and the lock can open and close normally. It must not fail at a critical moment," he said while shining his flashlight into the passage. "The passage is clear, and it’s 1.2 meters wide. Wide enough for rescue workers and their equipment to get through."
　　Xue straightened up and cast a glance at the underside of the bridge. His tone was steady: "When it’s cold, we have to be extra careful. The railway bridge is crucial for train safety. There’s no margin for error. The more thoroughly we check it, the safer the trains will be."
　　To date, Xue and his colleagues have conducted more than 100 railway inspections, encountering sandstorms along the way from time to time.
　　On one occasion, when the officers set out on their patrol, the weather was still clear and cloudless. But along the way, it suddenly changed, as fierce winds whipped up and a sandstorm came roaring in, blotting out the sky. They could barely keep their eyes open, struggled to stay on their feet, and lost all sense of direction.
　　"We didn’t even have time to get back to the vehicle," Xue said. "All we could do was turn our backs to the wind and huddle by a nearby bridge pier. Once the sandstorm died down, we brushed the thick dust off ourselves and got back to work."
　　"I was right here that we once helped rescue a local resident’s vehicle that had gotten stuck in a sand pit," Ma said, pointing ahead.
　　It was a day in mid-August 2024. After completing their patrol, the officers were returning to the station. As their police vehicle drove along a temporary desert access road in the uninhabited stretch between Yangtake and Alagan railway station, they spotted a pickup truck stuck in a sandy pit by the roadside. Its wheels spun helplessly, sinking deeper and deeper into the sand. Its passengers stood around the vehicle in distress, at a loss for what to do.
　　The officers took shovels from the trunk and, braving the cold wind, dug out the sand around the wheels and beneath the vehicle’s chassis. They then gathered stones to place under the wheels. With the police vehicle pulling and everyone pushing together, after two hours, the pickup truck was finally freed from the sand.
　　"Take a sip of ginger tea to warm yourself up." Standing beneath the Tatelerke Ruomin Expressway Bridge, Xue handed Dong a thermos, noticing his cheeks flushed from the cold. As Xue gazed into the desert, he said, "The environment has improved a lot."
　　In the distance, neat squares of grass are arranged across the dunes, firmly holding back the shifting sands. The swaying saxaul shrubs greeted passing tourists, showcasing the sand-control achievements Ruoqiang county has made in recent years.
　　Standing beneath the Yimulake Grand Bridge on the Ruoqiang-Hetian railway, after watching a fully loaded train safely cross the bridge, Xue and his colleagues carefully inspected the connection points between the bridge deck and the piers. Finding no abnormalities, they then braved the strong wind and drove on to their next inspection point—the Taitema Lake section of the Geku railway line, between kilometers 824 and 854.

　　A Strengthened Shield
　　"This is a beautiful place," said officer Ma.
　　Upon reaching the pavilion on the Taitema Lake on National Highway 218, they looked out into the distance. The reeds spread out like a soft carpet stretching toward the horizon, while Taitema Lake nestled quietly in the embrace of the surrounding sand dunes, like a shining pearl in the desert.
　　Nearly 10 kilometers of the Geku railway run through the Taitema Lake wetland where 6 herder households raise more than 4,000 sheep and over 800 cattle.
　　"Officer Dong, first check the stability of this section of the protective net." No sooner had Xue finished speaking than he was already half-squatting, pressing his palms firmly against the edges of the net and pushing outward with all his strength. The net barely wobbled before springing back securely, and there was not the slightest creak at the connections between the wires and the posts.
　　The two of them walked slowly along the protective net, their eyes scanning back and forth where the mesh met the ground. Unlike the sections that previously posed hazards, here the bottom of the net fit tightly against the saline soil, with gaps of less than one centimeter. The salt crust and the mesh joined seamlessly, eliminating the possibility of animals slipping through.
　　"Look! Have you noticed how this section of the safety fence is different from the others?" Xue said. During the high-water season, the water beneath the railway culverts rises, and as it recedes in the dry season, the soil at the base of the fencing on both sides of the culverts is gradually washed away by the changing water flow, leaving gaps beneath the fence.
　　Livestock grazing on either side of the railway can easily slip through these gaps and enter the fenced railway area, posing a risk to railway safety. In 2021 alone, more than 30 cases of livestock straying onto the tracks occurred in the Taitema Lake grasslands. Although none of them affected train operations, they still represented a significant safety hazard.
　　In early 2022, the Ruoqiang railway police station, together with the Ruoqiang-Hetian Infrastructure Maintenance Section, held consultations and decided to install an additional layer of flexible mesh outside the existing protective fence. They also designed a 30-centimeter inward fold of the mesh at the base of the fence, so that when soil beneath the fence is washed away by water, the mesh would automatically drop down to cover the gap.
　　Each year after the dry season, railway maintenance crews also refill the soil at the base, effectively preventing animals from entering the fenced area.
　　Meanwhile, at the initiative of the police station, six herding households around Taitema Lake formed a patrol team. Each year from April to October, during the grazing season, they assist in ensuring the safety of the nearby railway lines.
　　The measures proved promptly effective. Since 2022, there has not been a single incident of livestock encroaching on the railway lines in this section.

　　Boosting Culture and Tourism
　　The unearthed decorative waist piece from the historic Xiaohe Cemetery in Ruoqiang seems to flutter gracefully in the wind, while sunlight falls on the rammed-earth walls of the ancient city of Loulan, tracing the textures of a thousand years in the interplay of light and shadow. The Taklamakan Desert remains as vast as ever, yet the cities and villages connected by the railway tracks are quietly undergoing delightful transformations.
　　The streets and alleys of Ruoqiang bustle with people. Visitors stream endlessly through the Loulan Museum, and young faces now crowd the excavation trenches of the Milan Ruins. Ruoqiang’s red dates are being carried by rail to every corner of the country. The thousand-year-old camel bells of the Silk Road resonate in harmony with the whistles of modern trains. The living heritage of the ancient Loulan now spreads unceasingly along the steel tracks.
　　Elik Suleiman’s eyes shone with anticipation. With pride in his voice, he said, "The railway from Korla to Ruoqiang is now open, making it much easier for businessmen from the inland to travel. Friends from all over the country can now taste just how sweet our red dates are!"
　　The opening of the intercity railway has given Ruoqiang’s cultural and tourism services a major upgrade. A single train ticket now unlocks a full range of benefits covering dining, accommodation, transportation, sightseeing, shopping, and entertainment.
　　Seizing this development opportunity, the Ruoqiang County Bureau of Culture and Tourism has launched a series of "Special Offers with Intercity Train Tickets" initiatives, making the Silk Road exploration journey more convenient and affordable.
　　"Just one week after the intercity trains began operating, four employees bought homes and settled in Korla," Zhang Tianqing, head of the Ruoqiang Infrastructure Section, told reporters. Ruoqiang currently has 1,200 railway employees from 21 provinces and cities across the country. The opening of the intercity trains allows employees to achieve the goal of "working in a remote town while living in a central city, " helping Ruoqiang retain talent and advance its development.
　　Across the vast land connecting the Qiangtang plateau and the Altun mountains, the melody of guardianship continues to echo with the whistles of passing trains. In Ruoqiang, the railway leads to the "Road to Happiness" in the hearts of the people.
　　The railway public security officers, standing firm in the depths of the desert, are like poplar trees rooted in the sand. With loyalty and dedication, they quietly guard the very Road to Happiness!■
　　
　　About the Author:Wu Longhui, Korla Public Security Division, Urumqi Railway Public Security Bureau.
　　（Translated by Wei Dong）
　　(Zhang Chengxian also contributed to this article.)