China builds railway into Tibet

Prepared for over 40 years and costing 33 billion yuan ($US4.1 billion), the Qinghai-Tibet railway line is the world’s highest. Its highest point is 5,072 metres from sea level—over 200 metres above the previous record holder—a Peruvian railway pass in the Andes.

For centuries, Tibet was one of the most isolated regions in the world, due to the enormous height of its terrain, which culminates in the Himalayas. It used to take weeks and months to enter the heartland of Tibet from China via land routes. With the construction of the new railway, Beijing is just 48 hours away.

Running from the western Chinese city of Xining, in Qinghai province, to Lhasa, the provincial capital of Tibet, the new railroad’s total length is 1,956 kilometres. The project, which involved 100,000 workers from 2001, entailed heroic human efforts to overcome the forces of nature.

About 550 kilometres of its tracks were built on frozen earth and 960 kilometres were laid at more than 4,000 metres above sea level, with oxygen levels at the highest section only 50-60 percent of those at sea level. The annual average temperature of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is below zero.

Trains using this line are specifically outfitted with oxygen facilities in order to prevent high-altitude sickness. Bridges were built to support tracks above unstable areas of permafrost. In order to stabilise track embankments, special pipes with cooling elements were sunk to keep the ground cold and solid. A seismological system is under construction to monitor possible earthquake impacts.

The world’s highest station is now at Tanggula Mountain—regarded by local Tibetans as “insurmountable even by eagles”. At 5,068 metres above sea level and 300 metres higher than Europe’s tallest mountain, Mont Blanc, the train station has no staff due to the harsh environment. It is operated by satellite and a long-distance monitoring system.

In an attempt to arouse patriotism, the Chinese president declared in a televised speech that the railway was a “magnificent feat by the Chinese people”. In reality, it was made possible by international coordination of technology and engineering. The locomotives, which cost $2 million each, are built by US General Electric for harsh conditions. The train cars are manufactured by a joint venture with Canada’s Bombardier and specially designed for cold and high altitude environments.

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