Sichuan-Tibet Railway to be listed as national key project

March 25, 2016 

The “13th Five Year Plan” outlined the Sichuan-Tibet Railway as part of its key construction projects, indicating the project is now on the agenda.

After completion of Sichuan-Tibet Railway, travel time between Chengdu and Lhasa will be greatly reduced.

The Sichuan-Tibet Railway is the second “sky road” in Tibet after the Qinghai-Tibet Railway.  It originates in Chengdu of Sichuan Province, passing Ya’an, Ganzi, Changdu, Linzhi, and other cities before reaching Lhasa in Tibet Autonomous Region. The whole route measures 1,900 kilometers, with 1,800 kilometers of construction.

According to the construction headquarter, as of December of 2014, the construction of Lhasa-Nyingchi portion is in full swing. The Chengdu-Ya’an portion has also begun construction. Currently, the workers there are overcoming various difficulties such as complex geography, high altitude, and low oxygen during construction.

The Sichuan-Tibet Railway has very challenging geographical conditions. Lin Shijin, Assistant Chief Engineer of Sichuan-Tibet Railway Inspection and Design Team in China Railway Eryuan Engineering Group Co. Ltd, said that building this railway is similar to building the world’s hardest rollercoaster in the most dangerous and treacherous terrain of the world.

After completion of the railway, travel time between Chengdu and Lhasa will be only 13 hours. Currently, it takes 48 hours to travel between the two cities.