The Lhasa-Nyingchi Railway in the Tibet autonomous region has begun operations linking Lhasa, the regional capital, with Nyingchi and Lhokha, China State Railway Group said on Friday.
The newly opened single-line electrified railway provides southeastern Tibet with access to railway services for the first time and brings the Fuxing bullet train series to the last remaining provincial-level region on the Chinese mainland, according to Zhang Qiang, head of the Lhasa Station of the China Railway Qinghai-Tibet Group.
With a length of 435 kilometers and a design speed of 160 km per hour, the line launched four pairs of passenger trains between Lhasa and Nyingchi, and one passenger train between Shigatse and Nyingchi, Zhang said.
Thanks to the line, The travel time between Lhasa and Lhokha will be cut from more than two hours by road to about 60 minutes by rail. The travel time between Lhasa and Nyingchi will be reduced from about five hours to three and a half.
"The opening of the railway is good for locals. They will be proud to have such a good service," Zhang said.
According to He Niangzhe, head of general design for the Lhasa-Nyingchi Railway at the China Railway
Engineering Group Co, the Fuxing trains will be powered by both electric and internal-combustion engines
– a first for the plateau region.
With its nine stations, the new line will have more than 90 percent of its length in areas with an average altitude of over 3,000 meters. It crosses the Yarlung Zangbo River 16 times.
Backed by an investment of 36 billion yuan ($5.5 billion), construction started in March 2015. The line includes 47 tunnels and 121 bridges.
According to He Niangzhe, head of general design for the Lhasa-Nyingchi Railway at the China Railway Eryuan Engineering Group Co, the Fuxing trains will be powered by both electric and internal-combustion engines – a first for the plateau region.
With its nine stations, the new line will have more than 90 percent of its length in areas with an average altitude of over 3,000 meters. It crosses the Yarlung Zangbo River 16 times.
Backed by an investment of 36 billion yuan ($5.5 billion), construction started in March 2015. The line includes 47 tunnels and 121 bridges.
