According to a Shanghai Morning Post report last
Thursday, track laying for the Qinghai-Tibet Railway, the longest
and highest railroad in the world, is due to be finished on October
18.
"These are all the materials needed for the remaining?one
kilometer of track," a China Railway Erju Co Ltd official told the
paper, referring to a boxcar loaded with rails and sleepers. "It
will take two days to hoist and install rails and crossties. More
time will be spent on the last section, which is different from
others, as a lot of sidings have to be finished by hand instead of
machine."
The kilometer to the Tibetan-style Lhasa Railway Station in Tibet
Autonomous Region is the last of the 1,142-kilometer-long
railroad to be laid.
The Tibet Railway Corporation said a ceremony would be held to
celebrate the completion of the entire line, with Ministry of
Railways officials traveling its length from Nanshankou Railway
Station in Qinghai
Province, across the Tanggula Mountain Pass to Lhasa.
A trial train is presently performing experimental towing
operations between Golmud and Lhasa, and plans for train crew
relief, train staffing and safety control have almost been
completed. Due to unfavorable natural conditions, such as sand
winds and extreme cold with little oxygen, the train is armed with
equipment to supply oxygen and protect it from cold and
sand.?
The first batch of goods and materials will be transported to
Lhasa on the line after its completion. Trial operations for the
entire line are scheduled for July 1 next year, and it is due to be
officially open to traffic a year later.
Qinghai-Tibet Railway records:
1.?????The
highest railway in the world.
2.?????The
highest frozen-earth plateau tunnel?-- Fenghuo Mountain
Tunnel, 1,338 meters long, at Fenghuoshan Mountain, 5,010 meters
above sea level.
3.?????The
longest frozen-earth plateau tunnel in the world?-- Kunlun
Mountain Tunnel, at an altitude of 4,648 meters at its entrance and
lowest temperature at minus 30 Celsius degrees. The oxygen content
of the air is half that in plain areas.
4.?????The
highest-altitude railway station in the world?-- Tanggula
Railway Station, covering an area of 77,000 square meters, is
located at Tanggula Mountain.?
5.?????The
longest railway bridge on the line --?Qingshuihe Bridge, is
11.7 kilometers long and traverses Hoh Xil Nature Reserve at an
average altitude of 4,600 meters.
6.?????The
highest railway bridge?-- Sanchahe Bridge, 690.19 meters long,
is located over a canyon with an average altitude of 3,800 meters.
The floor of the bridge is 54.1 meters from the bottom of the
canyon.
Qinghai-Tibet Railway timeline:
1984: The railroad between Xining and Golmud was built and
opened to traffic.
December 2000: The official project proposal of Qinghai-Tibet
Railway was passed to the State Council.
February 8, 2001: The Qinghai-Tibet Railway project was approved
and initiated.
June 29, 2001: Construction of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway started
at Golmud, Qinghai Province.
October 18, 2005: Track laying for the Qinghai-Tibet Railway due
to be completed.
July 1, 2006: The entire line due to start trial operations.
July 1, 2007: The entire line due to be officially open to
traffic.
(China.org.cn by Zhang Yunxing, October 10, 2005)
