Storyline: Expanding transport network spurs growth, connectivity across Xinjiang [Voice_over] Northwest China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region has been rapidly expanding its integrated transportation network at an unprecedented scale and pace. From mountain tunneled expressways that cut travel time by hours, to a railway network that crosses desserts, the expansions are expected to save people time and money. Soon, the Urumqi-Yuli Expressway will be ready for traffic. As the first highway ever to connect southern and northern Xinjiang by traversing the Tianshan Mountains, local businesses are looking forward to spending less of their budgets on transportation. [Sound_bite] Yu Ruihong, chairman, dairy company： "Once the Urumqi-Yuli expressway opens, we will be able to cross the Tianshan Mountains in just 20 minutes. We've calculated that this will save us around 2 million U.S. dollars a year in transport costs." [Voice_over] Across the vast expanse of Xinjiang, areas once isolated from the outside world are being transformed into modern transportation hubs. So far, Xinjiang has a 9,500-kilometer railway network, 28 airports, and more than 230,000 kilometers of roads that link all its prefectures and cities. [Restrictions : No access Chinese mainland]