China has begun building a railway linking the northwestern Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region with other parts of the country.

Work began on the 1,214-km line between Korla in southern Xinjiang and Golmud in neighboring Qinghai Province on Sunday, according to Urumqi Railway Administration.

At a cost of 37 billion yuan (6 bln U.S. dollars), construction is scheduled to take five years. The railway is the latest improvement to the rail connectivity of Xinjiang, a key area in the Silk Road economic belt.

For years, the Lanxin railway was the only link between Xinjiang and other parts of China, before a high-speed rail line began operations on Sunday.

In June, construction began on a railway linking Ejina in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and Hami in Xinjiang.