China Railway Ministry will invest another 5.5 billion yuan, or more than US$660 million, for the construction of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway.

A total of 19.8 billion yuan (US$ 2.39 billion) had been earmarked for the 1,142 kilometer train line that will run from Golmud, in western Qinghai Province to Lhasa, the capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region, making it the longest railway at the highest elevation in the world.

So far, nearly 740 kilometers of track has been laid since China began construction in 2001.

The project is expected to open to traffic in 2007. Now most people currently travel to Tibet by air or car.
 
(CRI, China.org.cn December 1, 2004)