坐火车穿越塔克拉玛干，世界首条环沙漠铁路什么样？

茫茫大漠，滚滚车轮。漫漫长路，声声汽笛。西起新疆和田市，东联新疆巴州若羌县，一列列钢铁巨龙，在两条“绿带”的映衬下，飞驰在全长825公里的和若铁路上。

There is no journey quite like taking a train traveling through a vast desert. From Xinjiang’s Hotan city to Ruoqiang county, passing through two green belts, trains rides are made possible because of the 825-kilometer Hotan-Ruoqiang railway.

2022年3月11日，动检列车通过若克雅特大桥。 文智泉 供中国日报

2022年6月16日，和若铁路正式开通运营。它与现有的格库铁路、南疆铁路共同构成了2712公里的环形铁路线，环抱着塔克拉玛干沙漠，这也是世界上首条环沙漠铁路线。

The railway, which was put to operation on June 16, 2022, also made the 2,712 km-Taklimakan Desert rail loop line finally complete, making it the first desert rail loop in the world.

和若铁路开通后，结束了且末、民丰、于田、策勒、洛浦五个县及多个兵团团场不通火车的历史，圆了身处大漠铁路沿线各族群众在家门口坐火车的梦。

The opening of the line has brought train services to five counties — Qiemo, Minfeng, Yutian, Qira, and Lop. It has made people’s dream of taking trains at their doorsteps come true.

2023年10月25日，和田火车站货运站场，工作人员在卸货。冯永斌/中国日报

一年半以来，和若铁路打开了物流新通道，共计发送货物13万余吨，到达各类物资76万余吨，有效助力沿线经济振兴。

More than a year on, more than 130,000 metric tons of goods have been dispatched from southern Xinjiang via the Hotan-Ruoqiang railway, while over 760,000 tons of goods have been shipped in.

这更是一条民生之路，一年半以来，和若铁路共运送旅客36万余人。它彻底改变了沿途百姓的出行方式，同时也让更多的人走进和认识南疆。对于很多人来说，能够乘坐在沙海中运行的火车更是不可多得的旅行体验。

More than a year on, more than 360,000 people have taken trains operating on the Hotan-Ruoqiang railway.

洛浦县居民艾克拜尔·图尔荪说：“以前坐大巴车的话，大巴车又慢又不安全，现在火车又快又安全，火车上的工作人员服务也特别好，给我们老百姓带来了很多的方便。”

“Before, we had to take the bus to travel. It was slow and unsafe. The train service is fast and safe. And the service onboard is excellent. It’s really convenient for us,” Akbar Turson from Lop said.

2023年10月24日，和若铁路乘务人员亲切的和一名小乘客握手打招呼。冯永斌/中国日报

带着孩子从乌鲁木齐返回策勒县的居民古丽白·合热木说：“修路的时候，我们就打听到底什么时候通车，出行方便多了，又省时间，我们坐火车的话也不累，没有以前那样那么累，去乌鲁木齐也不累。”

Gulbar Herem from Qira said when the railway was under construction, she always asked around about when it could be completed. “It has made commuting so much easier and saved us a lot of time. Also, the journey is not that tiring. It’s not as tiring as it was (by bus), especially when traveling to Urumqi.”

专门选择坐着火车环游塔克拉玛干的来自广东的张先生表示自己没有想到车上会有这么多人。“之前在网络上，过来之前，会做攻略，然后查到坐火车好像更便利一点，而且价格也会很低。因为我个人比较喜欢这种人文旅游，北疆还要偏风光，南疆就是偏人文一点，我这次就把南疆这条线相当于是环沙漠走一下，都是要乘坐他们的火车的。”他说。

A tourist from Guangdong province surnamed Zhang said he didn’t expect to see the train so packed. “I did research online before the trip. During the process, I noticed that the new train service was more convenient and cheaper. I prefer experiencing local cultures. Traveling in northern Xinjiang is more about natural scenery, while it’s about exploring different cultures in the south. I plan to take the train around the Taklimakan Desert this time.”

2023年10月24日，策勒县居民古丽白·合热木带着孩子乘坐火车。冯永斌/中国日报

地处世界第二大流动性沙漠——塔克拉玛干沙漠南缘，和若铁路有534公里分布在风沙区域，治沙和护理成为两大难题。

The railway along the southern edge of the Taklimakan, the world’s second-largest shifting-sand desert, runs for 534 km through the desert. Sand control and maintenance have become the most challenging tasks.

和若铁路公司经理蒲发林表示最大难点还是要预防风沙对铁路的侵害。“运营一年多以来，风沙防护的规模基本上形成，也是在和若沿线形成了将近300公里的绿色长廊，为和若铁路运营保驾护航。”

Pu Falin, manager of the Hotan-Ruoqiang Railway Company, said the most challenging work for the railway is sand control. “It’s been more than a year since it was put to use, the sand control projects are working well. A green corridor of nearly 300 km has been formed along the rail track, ensuring the safe operation of the railway.”

和若铁路且末段绿化带养护队队员李德伦说：“我们这边主要是有梭梭、红柳、沙拐枣这三类植物进行生物防沙。它是先有一层高立式沙障，然后再有中立式沙障，一直到草方格，是工程防沙和生物防沙相结合。到时候像这种生物防沙起来，就相当于作为一个替换作用以后，就主要靠生物防沙进行治沙了，也是一个长期的治沙工程。”

“We’ve planted saxaul, red willow and calligonum to form a biological sand barrier. Also, we have built tall sand barriers as the first defense, and then medium-height sand barriers, followed by grass grids. We’ve combined both engineered and biological sand control systems. After the plants become stronger, we can mainly rely on them for sand control. It’s a long-term project,” said Li Delun, a member of the team maintaining the green belts, who is based at Qiemo station.

2023年10月23日，和若铁路且末段绿化带养护队队员在进行日常的巡检工作。冯永斌/中国日报

除了绿化工程与铁路施工同步进行，和若铁路的建设也有很多创新。施工铺路，对434座桥墩采用墩身预制拼装技术。以桥代路，建成五座总长达49.7公里的过沙桥。

Instead of making bridge piers on site, 434 piers were prefabricated and later assembled. In areas where there are bigger sand dunes and stronger winds, five bridges were built with a total length of 49.7 km, allowing the desert to move underneath them.

和若铁路见证了塔克拉玛干的日出和日落，承载了无数希望。它已经成为了沿途百姓生活中重要的一部分，也传递着新疆向世界张开双臂的热情。

Witnessing sunrises and sunsets in the desert, the Hotan-Ruoqiang railway has brought people hope. It has become an important part of people’s lives, and shown the world Xinjiang’s progress in opening up.

2023年10月24日，和田夜市吸引了来自全国各地的游客。冯永斌/中国日报

洛浦县居民阿卜杜热提·阿卜杜哈巴尔说，现在到洛普变得非常方便。“我很欢迎内地的朋友们来洛浦转一转玩一玩。我们洛浦的烤肉和烤包子，还有其他美食也很好的，欢迎其他地方的朋友们。”

Abdulret Abdulhabar from Lop said traveling to Lop has become easier than ever. “I welcome friends from other parts of China to come to Lop, and taste lamb skewers and baked samsa, and other delicious food. We welcome friends from everywhere.”

记者：崔佳 毛卫华