Sichuan-Tibet railway project delayed

[aimarraul]

Sichuan-Tibet railway project delayed
By Dai Xu and Huang Zhiling (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-09-03 07:44

Construction on a highly anticipated rail line linking Chengdu in Sichuan province to Lhasa in Tibet will not start this month, according to the Ministry of Railway, contradicting recent media reports.

The railway's planners are still examining intricate and difficult geological conditions along the proposed lines, according to the ministry spokesman, who was quoted by Xinhua News Agency.

A new start date has not been set, the spokesman said.

The railway's construction will have to overcome frozen earth, landslides, rock slides, cold weather and a lack of oxygen due to high altitude in some places.

The proposed railway will span 1,629 km, 650 km of which will be in Sichuan. Trains will travel at a maximum speed of 200 km per hour and will take only eight hours to reach Lhasa, the capital of the Tibet autonomous region, according to Wang Minghui, deputy chief of the Chengdu railway administration.

The rail line is expected to be finished in eight years with an investment of nearly 54 billion yuan ($7.9 billion) in State funds.

Travelers now have two ways to reach Lhasa from Chengdu: by National Highway No 318, which takes three days, and via Train T22, which takes nearly 45 hours.

"Because only one train leaves Chengdu for Lhasa every other day, and vice versa, it is quite difficult to get tickets," said Chen Zhuo, an official with the Chengdu railway station.

Construction of the Sichuan-Tibet railway is expected to propel economic and tourism development along the line.

The Hengduan Mountains near the line have an abundance of natural resources, including water, vegetation and minerals, said Li Changping, chief of the Ganzi Tibetan autonomous prefecture in Sichuan.

The Yulong Copper Mine near the mountain in Tibet has a proven reserve of 6.5 million tons of copper, first among the country's copper mines.

Eighty-two counties and districts along the line in Sichuan and Yunnan provinces and Tibet boast snow-capped mountains, grasslands, and Tibetan and Buddhist cultures.

 

[aimarraul]

China sets out to build second railway to Tibet

Jun 15, 2009 Source: People's Daily Online


Across the Jinsha River

On 10th June, Diqing plateau became an ocean of joy. People of ethnic Tibetan, Lisu, Naxi, Bai and Yi gathered at the cargo terminal construction site of Shangri-La Town to hold a meeting, celebrating the commencement of China's second Tibet Railway —— Lijiang-Shangri-La railway.

The railway that will cover 23,870 square kilometers and serve 373,000 people (of which 83.56% are ethnic minorities) will extend from Diqing plateau. It will connect the Dali Railway and the Tibet Autonomous Region.

As an important part of "the western railway network" and Yunnan-Tibet Railway in China's medium and long-term railway net work plan, Lijiang-Shangri-La railway starts from Lixiang station of Dali Railway, crossing the Jinsha River northward, passing Xiao Zhongdian, where it finally arrives in Shangri-La. Lijiang-Shangri-La railway not only traverses the richest and most unique regions in Yunnan Province containing biotechnology, mining, electricity and water resources, but also the habitat for ethnic minorities like Tibetan, Naxi, Yi, Lisu, Pumi and Bai.

Luo Zhengfu, vice governor of Yunnan province said at the meeting, "Construction of the Lijiang- Shangri-La railway will have a significant influence on promoting economic and social development in the northwest area: it can help to ease the backwardness of the transportation situation in northwest Yunnan, optimize the inter-regional allocation of resources, promote the deep exploration of tourism, hydropower and mineral resources and maintain stability in Tibet."

Full use of electric traction along the entire railway line

Speeding up railway construction in Yunnan Province was an important measure to cope with the international financial crisis, to stimulate domestic demand and economic growth and to promote the long-term development of Yunnan province. Yunnan province will take Lijiang-Shangri-La railway as a new opportunity to further set off an upsurge of railway construction in the province. Projects like Kunming Hinge Expansion, Yu-Kun Railway Expansion, the South East Link Dianchi Lake, Yun-Gui Railway, Shanghai-Kunming Railway line will all be launched within the year as to ensure eight billion yuan railway construction investment.

According to the approval of National Development and Reform Commission, the 139-kilometer-long Lijiang-Shangri-La railway is a level 1 National Railway. Electric traction is employed the whole length of the line, and the designed speed of the line is 120 km per hour. Being a part of the Yunnan-Tibet Railway, Lijiang-Shangri-La railway connects cities like Dali and Kunming. After the completion of Lijiang-Shangri-La Railway, more than 600 kilometers of railway line will be linked.

Total investment of this project amounts to 9.2 billion yuan and the project capital is 4.6 billion yuan, accounting for 50% of the total investment. Among which, the Ministry of Railways arranges 3.22 billion yuan fund for railway construction, accounting for 70% of the capital, while the Yunnan Provincial Capital Budget arranges 1.38 billion yuan, accounting for 30% of the capital. The remaining 4.6 billion yuan is from bank loans. The whole project is scheduled to complete in 6 years.

 

[aimarraul]

Dali-Lijiang railway to be completed in October
(chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2009-09-03 15:12

Train tracks have been laid between Dali and Lijiang, two cities in Southwest China’s Yunnan province, yunnan.cn, a Yunnan-based news portal reported today.

The tracks are a part of a larger rail line that will eventually run from Yunnan to Tibet Autonomous Region in Southwest China. Sources from Chengdu Railway Bureau said construction of the railway’s electric, telecommunication, and signal systems will be built next, along with stations between the two cities. Freight trains will then conduct test runs along the 164-km-long track, and the line will hopefully be open for passenger transportation before the National Day holiday in October.

Construction on the rail line began at the end of 2004, and was scheduled to be completed by June 2008. Because of construction difficulties and a decision to upgrade the line to accommodate electric-powered trains, as opposed to older coal-powered engines, the completion date was delayed until October.