The Ministry of Railways is carrying out detailed inspection and
maintenance along the
Qinghai-Tibet Railway to ensure trains run
safely across the world's highest plateau during the winter, Xinhua
reported yesterday.
Temperatures high up on the Qinhai-Tibet Plateau can drop to
-45℃ in the
winter.
The permafrost area, which sustains about 550 kilometers of
track, is prone to bending upwards in the extreme cold.
"Inspection and maintenance along the railway is being carried
out. And emergency measures are also being developed," Wang
Yongping, ministry spokesman, was quoted by Xinhua as saying.
Wang, addressing a press conference last week, mentioned that
the railway construction, though having made breakthroughs in
several fields, has experienced some expected challenges.
Several sections of track bed in the frozen soil area are
sinking, yaks walking along the track are posing threats to train
operation, and storms are also influencing the smooth running of
trains, Wang said.
The construction of the railway has overcome three major
difficulties, including permafrost, lack of oxygen and a vulnerable
ecosystem, according to experts.
Last week, former vice minister of the Ministry of Railway Sun
Yongfu said that the track bed of the railway along the frozen area
has survived the severe test of the warm season after three
months.
A successive five-year test found that the subsidence rate of
the track bed along the frozen portion stayed below 2 centimeters
per year.
"The railway now runs in an orderly and safe manner, and its
operation hasn't influenced the ecosystem," Sun told Xinhua.
The Qinghai-Tibet Railway stretches 1,956 kilometers from
Xining, capital of northwest China's Qinghai Province, to Lhasa,
capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region.
About 960 kilometers of the track is 4,000 meters above sea
level, with the highest point at 5,072 meters.
(China Daily October 2, 2006)