The Ministry of Railways approved the safety of the Golmud-Lhasa section of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway on Wednesday.

 

The news will be welcomed by travelers wishing to use the rail route when trial operation starts on July 1.

 

According to the inspection committee, the quality of the project has met national safety standards.

 

In construction, builders tried to avoid geographically vulnerable areas. In the frozen earth regions, they placed heat preservation planks in the bed to prevent it from sinking. Test results show that the train speed can reach 120 kilometers per hour in non-frozen-earth areas and 100 kilometers per hour in frozen earth regions.

 

All facilities and components have passed altitude adaptability tests and durability tests and the emergency facilities have also received approval.

 

(Xinhua News Agency June 29, 2006)