Cai Qinghua, former Vice Minister of Railways and now member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, revealed on the 7th that Qinghai-Tibet Railway will officially start running on July 1, 2007. By then it will take no more than three days to travel from Beijing to Lhasa in a domestic gas engine train with strong horsepower.

Cai indicated that with specially designed hermetic closure, trains on the Qinghai-Tibet Railway can guarantee smooth operation in an extremely cold and anoxic environment. They are equipped with a plateau oxygen supply system. Oxygen will be added to the entire cabin and oxygen content in air will remain at the level that is comfortable for human body so as to help passengers overcome altitude stress.

Cai said that trains can run about 120 kilometers per hour on the plateau, which will shorten the riding time between Beijing and Lhasa to less than three days.
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(China News Service March 10, 2006)