China Railway Corporation informed a local Tibetan newspaper that the construction of the railway towards Indian Border was started “recently.”
Tibet People’s Daily said the railway from Lhasa to Nyingtri would boost local economic and social development and that “it has important significance in the unification of nationalities.”
Chinese officials predict engineering difficulties during the Lhasa-Nyingtri railway construction. The construction will proceed through the Brahmaputra valley, which is known for deep faults, active tectonic plates, and “7.5 earthquake capacity” according to China Tibet, a Chinese newspaper, in January 2014.
The Lhasa-Nyingtri railway line will start from Shelrong, an existing railway station on the Lhasa-Shegatse railway line, located at 51 kilometers from Lhasa City. The 401 kilometer railway will go through seven counties in TAR before it reaches Nyingtri. This segment of the railway will link Tibetan areas in Sichuan and Yunnan that border with Burma.
According to China’s strategic railway map, the future railway lines will run through the entire south-western border areas of Tibet. Last August, the western most city of TAR (Tibetan Autonomous Region) Shigatse, and was connected by the railway. The new construction will make Shigatse a hub for railway lines that will stretch to the borders of India, Nepal, and Bhutan and connect with Xijiang (via Mt. Kailash region).
Source: voatibetanenglish.com Photo:www.tibetanreview.net
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