A 20-year connection

On July 1, 2006, the Qinghai-Xizang Railway began full-line passenger operation, bringing railway services to Xizang Autonomous Region for the first time. Over the past 20 years, this world-renowned "sky rail" connecting Xining, Qinghai Province, to Lhasa, Xizang, has written a new chapter in regional development, ethnic unity and ecological protection across the vast Qinghai-Xizang Plateau.

The Qinghai-Xizang Railway represents a breakthrough in the history of human infrastructure construction. The 1,956-km line, more than 960 km of which is over 4,000 meters above sea level, overcame three major world-class engineering challenges: permafrost, oxygen deficiency and fragile ecosystems. From 1958 to 2006, construction teams devoted themselves to overcoming these challenges, completing the world's highest and longest plateau railway in two phases.

Operation of this railway has reshaped the development landscape of the plateau. The Qinghai-Xizang Plateau was once isolated by high mountains and poor transportation, making it difficult to transport goods and hindering exchange with other parts of China. Freight volume in and out of Xizang soared from 361,000 tons in 2006 to 8.31 million tons in 2026. Over the past two decades, the railway has transported a total of 824 million tons of freight and served 104 million passenger trips. This increased access has enabled plateau products to reach new markets across the country. It has also transformed underutilized cultural and tourism resources into development advantages and driven the rapid development of homestays and specialty industries.

Journeys for people from Xizang to study, seek medical treatment, visit family and friends, and conduct businesses in other regions have become easier, improving people's lives. The railway line has also carried technology, talent and capital into Xizang, further facilitating the economic and social development of the region.

The plateau's unique culture has gained wider recognition, promoting mutual understanding and integration among different ethnic groups. As trains run every day, interactions and exchanges among China's diverse ethnic groups become increasingly frequent, which strengthens the sense of the Chinese nation as one community and contributes to stability, harmony, unity and progress on the plateau.

The Qinghai-Xizang Railway has prioritized ecological protection with dedicated crossings built for wildlife and pollutant discharge strictly controlled. In the future, it will continue facilitating this steady, sustainable progress, helping the region share in the benefits of China's increasing modernization and growing prosperity.