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How did the Baotou-Lanzhou railway improve links between northern and northwestern China?

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Wide autumn valley with golden grass in the foreground and low, tree-covered mountains of the Greater Khingan Range in the distance under a clear sky. — Inner Mongolia Da Hinggan (Greater Khingan) Range, southeast of Hailar, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, China.

The Baotou-Lanzhou railway, constructed after 1949, serves as the most significant rail line built in Inner Mongolia since that time. By extending southwest from Baotou to Lanzhou in Gansu province, the line effectively completes the vital rail connection between northern and northwestern China.1

This railway improves regional connectivity by linking with other rail networks in Lanzhou that extend into central and south-central China, as well as toward Ürümqi in the Xinjiang region. Consequently, the line transformed Baotou into a major transportation hub, facilitating integrated trade and industrial movement across these expansive territories.21