The Xi'an to Yinchuan high-speed rail project, approved by the National Development and Reform Commission by 2014, will start construction in late 2015, with the total length of 595 km and investment of 16 billion yuan, according to Zhang Bawu, Director of the Development and Reform Commission of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region.

Ningxia is one of the provinces and regions without high-speed rail in China. Its rail infrastructure is very weak with the double-track rate of 17% only, ranking the 27th nationwide. Moreover, the insufficient capacity and low transport efficiency of the section of Baotou-Lanzhou railway, Baoji-Zhongwei railway and Taiyuan-Zhongwei railway in Ningxia has become the obstruction of the east-west transportation corridor.

The Xi'an – Yinchuan high-speed rail project is designed with national and industrial regulations, starting from Yinchuan, via Wuzhong City of Ningxia, Qingxiang City of Gansu and Xianyang City of Shaanxi, to Xi’an. Zhang Bawu said, its completion would enable the running time from Yinchuan to Xi’an reducing from 14 hours to 3 hours.