The Qinghai-Tibet Railway, which started operating seven years ago, will soon be extended to reach more parts of China.
China’s Xinhua news agency reported the railway’s operator, Qinghai-Tibet Railway Company, as saying that several new lines are either under construction or being planned to connect to more remote corners of western China.
Currently the railway runs 1,956km from Xining, in Qinghai province, to Lhasa, the capital of Tibet. One of the new extensions will stretch 253km from Lhasa to Xigaze, southwest Tibet, while another being planned will connect Lhasa to Nyingchi, southeast Tibet.
Two new lines will also extend from Golmud, a city in Qinghai that serves as an important junction on the railway. One will connect with Dunhuang, in the northern province of Gansu, while another will link up with Korla, in the northwest region of Xinjiang. This last connection will complete the first direct rail link between the remote regions of Tibet and Xinjiang, cutting more than 1,000km off the journey between regional capitals Lhasa and Urumqi.
The Qinghai-Tibet Railway includes the world’s highest stretch of track, at 5,072m above sea level, plus the world’s highest railway station, Tanggula, at 5,068m. It also features the world’s highest and longest rail tunnels, with the Fenghuoshan tunnel lying at 4,905m above sea-level and the Guanjiao tunnel measuring 4,010m from end to end.
Comments are closed.