A Sky Train
Middle section of the second railway into Tibet goes into construction phase
rough and narrow. Though months had passed, he said he shivered with fear when thinking about traveling on a section that is only half a meter wide on the edge of a cliff.
While in the wilderness, Feng had to watch time carefully to make sure that he and his colleagues could return to their base in the evening. If they spent the night out, they would not only suffer low temperature, but also risk attacks by animals.
After picking a site, there would still be a lot of things to do. A drilling rig would be hoisted to the top of the mountain, and rock samples would be collected and analyzed in preparation for the design and construction of the bridge.
In addition to the rugged terrain, the railway will face other hazards such as avalanches, landslides and earthquakes. It will go through seismic belts, You said.
Natural disasters have caused serious damage to the region. In 2000, a huge landslide destroyed all bridges, roads and telecommunications facilities built over the previous four decades in the affected areas in Bomi County, Tibet.
In 2008, an 8-magnitude earthquake struck
Wenchuan, a county in Sichuan, causing serious damage to infrastructure in the region.
Researchers such as You have been monitoring and analyzing possible hazards and offered advice on route selection and precautions needed.
Getting connected
Although the construction of the middle section has just started, Gonjo Chodron, an official with Zhari Township in Shannan, Tibet, is already looking forward to welcoming tourists who will arrive by train.
“We are ready to welcome guests,” she told the media while attending the annual conference of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference in Beijing in May. She said her hometown is a picturesque place, yet poor infrastructure hampered the development of tourism.
Situated on the “roof of the world,” Tibet was isolated from the rest of the world in the past. There was no modern road into Tibet until 1954, the year when two paved roads, respectively from neighboring provinces of Qinghai and Sichuan, were open to traffic. In 1965,
Tibet’s first air route was launched, which connects Lhasa to Chengdu.
After the first railroad into Tibet, the Qinghai-tibet Railway, went into operation in 2006, the region’s development, including transportation, picked up steam. In 2013, Medog became the last county in China to have access to highways.
A railroad was completed within Tibet in 2014, connecting Lhasa with Xigaze, the region’s second largest city. As of March, the region had five airports and 103 air routes reaching 51 cities at home and abroad.
Gonjo Chodron said she is looking forward to the early operation of the SichuanTibet Railway, which she believes will be of great significance to the development of Tibet. The railway will not only facilitate the transportation of passengers and goods, but also bring Tibet and the outside world closer, she said.