The Golmud-Lhasa section of the Qinghai-Tibet railway will start unmanned test runs
from May 1 in preparation for its trial operation on July 1.
Sources from China's Ministry of Railways said in Beijing on
Thursday that the country will complete the construction of a
number of key railway projects with an investment of 34 billion
yuan (about US$4 billion) in the second quarter this year,
including the opening of the Qinghai-Tibet railway.
Built on the "Roof of the World" and zigzagging across
5,000-meter-high mountain ranges and a 550-km-long frozen belt, the
Qinghai-Tibet railway is the first railway in Tibet, aiming at
building a closer tie between the plateau with other parts of
China.
According to the ministry, besides the Qinghai-Tibet railway,
construction of other major railways will also be accelerated
during the second quarter, including the Beijing-Tianjin inter-city
track project.
The ministry also urges that the electrified renovation of the
Beijing-Shanghai railway should be completed before July 1.
Ministry statistics show that the country has completed the
construction of railway projects with an investment of 24 billion
yuan (about US$3 billion) in the first quarter this year, 2.8 times
more than that of the same period of last year.
(Xinhua News Agency April 14, 2006)