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Railway of Hope

The first train from Beijing to Tibet completed its long journey along the world's highest railway, the Qinghai-Tibet railway, on July 3, opening a direct service to the Himalayan region that several generations of Chinese leaders have been trying to achieve for the past five decades.

Tibet, the last autonomous region in the country to build a railway, finally welcomed its first train. About 4,060 kilometres away, the trip to Lhasa from Beijing took more than 48 hours.

Train attendant Fan Guojun said, "I am excited because it is my first trip to Lhasa. I got so far as Tanggula Mountain while being trained for rides to Tibet."

Tibet lies on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, which is known as the "Roof of the World" and averages 4,000 metres above sea level. The land area of Tibet exceeds 1.2 million square kilometres, about five times the size of Britain and accounting for one-eighth of the total area of China. The completion of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway will connect Tibet to the rest of China's vast rail transportation network, which is expected to lead to a rapid transmission of information and to bring a creative spirit into Tibet.

It is widely believed that the Qinghai-Tibet Railway will promote Tibet's integration with the outside world.

Harmonious Environment

There's no doubt that the newly launched Qinghai-Tibet Railway will result in more travellers choosing to explore Tibet. But, "It won't have a great impact on the local environment," said Qiangba Punco, chairman of the Tibet Autonomous Region, at a press conference in Lhasa on July 4.

Qiangba Punco said Tibet's ecosystem was drawing the attention of the whole country, with many citizens expressing concerns about its preservation now that the new railway has been launched.

The central government has taken a series of measures to protect Tibet's frail environment, including the construction of the National Environmental Safety Defence for the Tibet Altiplano, which will cost 38.7 billion yuan (US$4.84 billion).

The railway builders budgeted 1.54 billion yuan (US$192.8 million), or 4.6 percent of the total investment of the rail to environmental protection projects. Projects included the construction of 33 special passageways that allow wild animals to cross the railway without fear or harm.

China's top environment watchdog, the State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA), has been conducting an environmental impact assessment on the Qinghai-Tibet railway since 2005.

"For protection of the vegetation along the railway line, we required that earth excavation for construction be carried out at least 500 metres from the railway lines," said Zhu Xingxiang, head of the administration's Department of Environmental Impact Assessment. "And every piece of vegetation removed must be replaced."

Special passageways for the migration of Tibetan antelopes and wild yaks also have been designed and built, and passengers will see some signs along the railway reminding them about the wildlife.

Booming Tourism Industry and Economic Development

The tourism industry will become Tibet's pillar industry, because of the new railroad. As a "smokeless" industry, tourism could greatly stimulate the development of compatible industries, but they are expected to have little effect on the region's ecosystem and environment.

"The completion of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway will allow the leapfrog development of Tibet and will boost the development of relevant industries," said Wang Taifu at the Tibet Regional Academy of Social Sciences.

The ticket price to Lhasa is much lower than the typical airfare. People can better enjoy the Qinghai-Tibet regions' beautiful scenery while taking the train.

The Qinghai-Tibet Railway carried 2,569 passengers to Tibet Autonomous Region during its first three days of operation.

In 2005, 1.8 million people visited Tibet's high altiplano, generating nearly 2 billion yuan (US$250.3 million) in revenue.

A study predicts that the annual number of travellers to Tibet will grow to 5.28 million in 2010, generating revenues of 5.8 billion yuan (US$725.4 million) for the region.

In addition to the tourism industry, trade and social development will also be promoted as the effect of the rail route is felt, linking Tibet with other parts of China. Local residents and Tibetan herdsmen are among those who will benefit from it.

The railway will accelerate the integration of Tibet's economy into the market of Eastern China and will result in the creation of more jobs.

A Ministry of Railways official said the Chinese Government is planning to build three more railway lines in Tibet over the course of the next 10 years as extensions of the newly completed railway.

President Hu Jintao made a speech at a launching ceremony of the railway, and cut a red ribbon opening the railway.

"The project is not only a magnificent feat in China's history of railway construction, but is also a great miracle of the world's railroad history," he told an audience of 2,600 on a square in front of the Golmud railway station, while congratulating workers who built the line.

Because of its geographical location at an extremely high elevation, Tibet was virtually isolated from the outside world for a long time. In many people's eyes, Tibet is a mysterious place with inconvenient transportation. However, with the new railway, this image of Tibet will probably soon vanish from people's minds. It is expected that in the near future, Tibet will appear to the outside world as a place of great vigour and vitality.