A groundbreaking ceremony for the Yinchuan-Bayanhot branch line of Baotou-Yinchuan High-speed Railway is held in Bayanhot town, Alshaa League, North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region, on July 22. [Photo/Official WeChat account of Alshaa Radio and Television Station]

A groundbreaking ceremony for the Yinchuan-Bayanhot branch line of the Baotou-Yinchuan High-speed Railway was held in Bayanhot town, Alshaa League, North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region, on July 22. 

The 115-kilometer branch line will extend 74.36 km in Inner Mongolia, have two stations - Barunbieli and Bayanhot in the autonomous region, and is expected to open to traffic in 2026.

As a vital channel for the westward outbound area of Inner Mongolia, the Yinchuan-Bayanhot branch line is of great significance to national strategies such as the ecological protection and high-quality development of the Yellow River Basin, participation in the Belt and Road Initiative, and the development of West China in the new era.

Once the branch line is completed, it will fully realize the east-west connection of the railway arteries in Inner Mongolia and connect Alshaa League to the national high-speed rail network for the first time.

It will be more convenient for people in the league to travel directly by rail to other hub cities in North China, such as the autonomous region's capital Hohhot and Xi'an in Shaanxi province.

The branch line will also help promote cooperation and exchanges between the league and surrounding areas in socioeconomic development, tourism resource exploration, opening-up, and regional integration.