The word “Taklamakan” is said to mean “Place of No Return”. That China is now embarking on the final section of a railway line that will encircle the entire desert, by 2022 it will be possible to turn that metaphor into reality.
“塔克拉玛干”一词的意思是“不归之地”。中国现在正在修建一条环绕整个沙漠的铁路线的最后一段，到2022年，这个比喻将有可能变成现实。
Xinjiang, or to use its unwieldly full name, the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, is translated literally as “New Frontier” (新疆). Considering its location, that moniker may ring true. For China and her ever expanding network of railways, thinking of Xinjiang as the final frontier may be more appropriate.
新疆，或者使用其笨拙的全名“新疆维吾尔自治区”，直译为“新边疆”（新疆）。考虑到它的位置，这个绰号可能是真实的。对于中国及其不断扩大的铁路网络来说，将新疆视为最后的边疆可能更合适。
China Railway 14th Bureau Group (CRCC14) is responsible for project, as they are for many of China’s engineering challenges in the field of transportation. Indeed, CRCC14 has itself been busy in Nanjing recently, with the Jiajiang Tunnel project under the Yangtze that forms the southern approach to the Nanjing Number 5 Bridge.
中国中铁十四局集团（CRCC14）负责该项目，因为他们解决了中国在交通领域的许多工程挑战。事实上，CRCC14本身最近在南京也很忙碌，其长江夹江隧道项目构成了南京五桥的南引道。
The tunnel was a complicated effort indeed, as the boring machine came to within 80cm of the foundations for the Nanjing Eye observation platform. But by comparison to the 825 kilometre Ruoqiang to Hotan railway around the southern part of the Taklamakan Desert, it pales into insignificance.
这条隧道确实是一项复杂的工作，因为掘进机距离南京眼观测平台地基不到 80 厘米。但与环塔克拉玛干沙漠南段825公里的若羌至和田铁路相比，就显得小巫见大巫了。
In more plain terms, the Taklamakan is the size of Germany.
更简单地说，塔克拉玛干有德国那么大。
It’s an unforgiving environment; lying in the rain shadow of the Himalayas provides for a 60 degree Celcius difference in temperatures between winter and summer (-20 to 40 degrees). Despite this the Taklamakan almost devoid of water. The railway will link up many of the oasis towns that dot the sandy landscape, places on the Silk Road such as the long romanticised Kashgar that lies close to the the western end of the new rail link, close to the border with Afghanistan.
这是一个无情的环境；位于喜马拉雅山的雨影区，冬夏温差达 60 摄氏度（-20 至 40 度）。尽管如此，塔克拉玛干几乎没有水。这条铁路将连接许多点缀在沙滩上的绿洲城镇和丝绸之路上的地方，例如位于新铁路线西端附近、靠近阿富汗边境的长期浪漫化的喀什。
Given the vast barren nature of the terrain, it is no wonder Project Manager, Zhang Gang, revealed to told local media that CRCC14 has put in place a management and construction team with “rich experience in desert railway construction”, capable of working in and with the “intricate natural environment”, reported Railway Gazette on 21 May. They will need to be; working 24 hours a day, the team is expected to lay at least 2 kilometres of track per day.
据《铁道报》5月21日报道，考虑到该地区地势广阔、贫瘠，难怪项目经理张刚向当地媒体透露，中国铁建十四公司已经组建了一支“具有丰富沙漠铁路建设经验”、能够在“复杂的自然环境”中工作的管理和施工团队。他们需要这样做；该团队每天24小时工作，预计每天至少铺设2公里的轨道。
As a single track line, the number of trains that will be able to run simultaneously shall be significantly curtailed. Only eight passenger trains will run each way per day, together with 15 million tonnes of freight per year. Running at speeds up to a maximum of 120 km/h, the trains shall stop at any or all of the 65 stations being built en route.
作为单条轨道线，能够同时运行的列车数量将大大减少。单程每天仅运行 8 列旅客列车，每年货运量为 1500 万吨。列车运行速度最高可达 120 公里/小时，将在途中修建的 65 个车站中的任何一个或全部停靠。
Hence we find this new line’s raison d’etre. As well as bringing much needed connectivity and economic development to local Xinjiang people, the line is yet another link in China’s increasingly famed Belt & Road Initiative.
因此，我们找到了这条新产品线存在的理由。该线路不仅为新疆当地人民带来了急需的互联互通和经济发展，也是中国日益知名的“一带一路”倡议的又一纽带。
Events of 2020 to date have also brought about considerable emphasis on domestic tourism. While The Nanjinger would not condone travelling to Xinjiang at the present time, industry insiders have said that the region could be back on the map for tourism later in the year. That said, travellers frequently encounter difficulties all across Xinjiang, largely on account of hugely varying travel policies.
2020年迄今为止发生的事件也极大地重视了国内旅游。虽然《南京人》目前不会容忍前往新疆旅游，但业内人士表示，该地区可能会在今年晚些时候重新出现在旅游业的版图上。尽管如此，新疆各地的游客经常遇到困难，这主要是由于旅游政策差异巨大。
When the time comes and the railway encircling the Taklamakan is in operation, the long trek from Nanjing will no doubt be worth it, if only for the opportunity for sightseeing of splendor beyond compare.
到时候，环塔铁路开通后，从南京出发长途跋涉，哪怕只是为了欣赏无与伦比的壮丽景色，无疑也是值得的。
