Southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region is making preparations for the construction of Qinghai-Tibet Railway, the first railway linking the "Roof of the World" with the country's inland areas.

The Chinese government has approved the construction of the 1, 118-kilometer railway, extending from Lhasa in Tibet to Gormo in Qinghai Province in northwest China. It will be the longest and most elevated railway built in highlands in the world.

The autonomous regional government has set up a special office to handle preparations for the railway project. The office will host regular coordination meetings involving departments of land-planning, construction material, taxes and finance.

Meanwhile, a series of research projects will be launched to provide policies and regulations on the construction of the railway.

The reconnaissance and survey work on the construction are now underway. The local geological department invested two million yuan in building a large-scale warehouse for heavy railway machinery. The transportation department has prepared 50 heavy traffic vehicles for railway construction.

"We are ready for building the Qinghai-Tibet railway, which has great significance for increasing exchanges between various ethnic groups in Tibet and the rest of the country," local officials said.

Date:Wednesday, March 14, 2001
Peopledaily