On the amazing World¨s highest Railway (Tanggula : 5072m) : Golmud – Lhasa Qinghai Tibet railway 1142 KM (960KM over 4000m & 550KM of it built on permafrost) over earthquake zones, in rarified air with oxygen supply carriages, 675 bridges, environmental friendly (totally trash free) and 33 wildlife crossing railway bridges viaducts for antelopes to pass built in 5 years at a cost of $ 3.68bn, 20,000+ workers, 6,000+ pieces of industrial equipment in sub zero temperatures
- The railway station lies in Niu New Area, Doilungdêqên District, 1 kilometer to the south of the Lhasa River and 5 kilometers south west of the Potala Palace
- The Liuwu Bridge links central Lhasa to Lhasa railway station and the newly developed Niu New Area on the south bank of the Lhasa River
- The bridge is one of the notable structures of the 1142 kilometres (710 mi) Qinghai–Tibet Railway, the highest railway in the world
- In addition to the Qinghai-Tibet Railway, the station is served by the Lhasa–Xigazê railway to Shigatse in western Tibet
- The station will also be the future terminus of the Sichuan–Tibet railway from Chengdu, with the first section to Nyingchi in eastern Tibet scheduled to open in 2021
- As of 2020, there are nine daily departures: two to Xigazê and seven via Xining
- Of these, one terminates, and the remaining six each continue to one of the following destinations
- Beijing West, Chengdu, Chongqing West, Guangzhou, Lanzhou, Shanghai
- Track layout : The Lhasa passenger railway station is large compared to current needs, containing four tracks serving two island platforms under one roof. There is space for one more island platform and three more tracks
- A departure indicator displays information regarding the next four trains scheduled to depart in both Chinese and Tibetan
- The times and train numbers are in Latin alphanumeric characters
THE TANGGULA PASS
THE HIGHEST POINT IN THE QINGHAI TIBET RAILWAY AS WELL AS THE HIGHEST RAILWAY IN THE WHOLE WORLD
- The Tanggu La, Tangla Pass, or Tanggu Pass (Chinese: 唐古拉山口; Standard Tibetan: གདང་ལ) is a wide mountain pass in Southwest China over 5,000 meters (16000 ft) in elevation, which utilized by both the Qinghai–Tibet Highway and Qinghai–Tibet Railway to cross the Tanggula Mountains
- These mountains on the Tibetan Plateau separate the Tibet Autonomous Region from the Qinghai province, and also form part of the watershed separating the Yangtze River to the north from a zone of endorheic basins with internal drainage to the south
- The Qinghai–Tibet Highway reaches its highest elevation of 5231 meters (17162 ft) in the Tanggu Pass at 32°52′24″N 91°55′03″E
- On August 24, 2005, rail track for the Qinghai–Tibet Railway was completed 28 kilometers (17 mi) to the WNW of the highway, reaching 5072 meters (16640 ft) at 33°00′38″N 91°39′51″E. The Tanggula railway station 1 km from this summit is the world’s highest at 5,068 meters (16627 ft), 255 meters (837 ft) higher than that of Ticlio, Peru
- The Qinghai–Tibet railway connects the provincial capitals of Xining to Lhasa
- The 1,080-kilometer (670 mi)-long section from Golmud to Lhasa was opened on July 1, 2006
- The rail cars are equipped with personal oxygen supplies to prevent altitude sickness.
WHAT IS THE QINGHAI TIBET RAILWAY ? (QINGZANG TIELU)
- The Qinghai–Tibet railway or Qingzang railway (Standard Tibetan : མཚོ་བོད་ལྕགས་ལམ།) / simplified Chinese : 青藏铁路 pinyin: Qīngzàng Tiělù), is a high-elevation railway that connects Xining, Qinghai Province, to Lhasa, Tibet Autonomous Region of China
- The length of the railway is 1,956 km (1,215 mi). Construction of the 815 km (506 mi) section between Xining and Golmud was completed by 1984
- The 1142 km (710 mi) section between Golmud and Lhasa was inaugurated on 1 July 2006, by General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party Hu Jintao
- The first two passenger trains were “Qing 1” (Q1) from Golmud to Lhasa, and “Zang 2” (J2) from Lhasa to Beijing
- This railway is the first that connects the Tibet Autonomous Region to any other provinces
- Tibet, due to its elevation and terrain, is the last provincial level region in China to have a railway
- Testing of the line and equipment started on 1 May 2006
- Passenger trains run from Beijing, Chengdu, Chongqing, Guangzhou, Shanghai, Xining, and Lanzhou and can carry between 800 and 1,000 passengers during peak season
- More than 960 km (600 mi) – over 80% of the Golmud–Lhasa section is at an elevation of more than 4000 m (13123 ft)
- There are 675 bridges, totalling 159.88 km (99.34 mi); about 550 km (340 mi) of track is laid on permafrost
- Within the Golmud to Lhasa section of the line there are 45 stations, 38 of which are unstaffed and monitored by the control center in Xining
- Thirteen more stations are planned
THE QINGHAI TIBET RAILWAY
WHAT ARE SOME OF THE SUPERLATIVE POINTS ABOUT THE QINGHAI TIBET RAILWAY LINE ?
- WORLD´s HIGHEST POINT ON A RAILWAY : The line includes the TANGGULA PASS – which at 5072 m (16640 ft) above sea level – is the WORLD´s HIGHEST POINT ON A RAILWAY
- WORLD´S HIGHEST RAILWAY STATION : TANGGULA RAILWAY STATION at 5068 m (16,627 ft) 33°00′18.50″N 91°38′57.70″E is the WORLD´S HIGHEST RAILWAY STATION
- WORLD´s HIGHEST RAIL TUNNEL : The 1338 m (4390 ft) FENGHUOSHAN TUNNEL is the WORLD´s HIGHEST RAIL TUNNEL at 4905 m (16093 ft) above sea level
- The 4010 m (13160 ft) New Guanjiao Tunnel is the longest tunnel between Xining and Golmud and
- The 3345 m (10974 ft) Yangbajing tunnel is the longest tunnel between Golmud and Lhasa
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China RailwayTHE QINGHAI TIBET RAILWAY
DESCRIBE THE TRAIN & TICKETS
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Line Z21/Z22 serves between Beijing West railway station and Lhasa railway station
- The trains are specially built for high elevation environments
- The line has a capacity of eight pairs of passenger trains
- The railway from Golmud to Lhasa was completed on 12 October 2005 and it opened to regular trial service on 1 July 2006
- The locomotives are turbocharged to combat the power-reducing effect of having to run on about half an atmosphere of air due to extreme altitude
THE ROLLING STOCK
- Bombardier Transportation built 361 high-altitude passenger carriages with special enriched-oxygen and UV-protection systems, delivered between December 2005 and May 2006
- Fifty-three are luxury sleeper carriages for tourist services
- The diesel locomotives for cargo were built by CSR Qishuyan (DF8B-9000 Series) and by CNR Erqi Locomotive (DF7G-8000 Series) and
- The locomotives for passenger transportation were built by GE in Pennsylvania (NJ2), and
- The passenger carriages are Chinese-made 25T carriages: on train Z21/Z22, between Beijing West and Lhasa
Bombardier Sifang Transportation (BSP) made carriages on the Golmud-Lhasa section in deep green/yellow or deep red/yellow
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- GE Transportation NJ2 locomotive (78 GE designation C38AChe locomotives were built)
- CSR Qishuyan & CSR Ziyang Locomotive Factory DF8B-9000 series and DF8BJ locomotive – similar to the Bombardier Transportation-GE Transportation Blue Tiger diesel electric locomotive
- CNR Erqi Locomotive DF7G-8000 series locomotive
- CRRC Dalian HXN3 locomotive
- 361 Bombardier Sifang Power (Qingdao) Transportation Ltd./Power Corporation of Canada/China South Locomotive and Rolling Stock Industry (Group) Corporation High-Grade Coach – 308 standard cars and 53 special tourist cars
- Signs in the carriages are in Tibetan, Chinese, and English
- The operational speed is 120 km/h (75 mph) and 100 km/h (62 mph) over sections laid on permafrost
THE QINGHAI TIBET RAILWAY : SERVICES
- Beijing – Lhasa (every day)
- Chengdu / Chongqing – Lhasa (every other day)
- Lanzhou / Xining – Lhasa
- Shanghai / Guangzhou – Lhasa service were added in October 2006
- In July 2010 the Shanghai–Lhasa service became daily and
- A daily service between Xining and Lhasa was added, but the service was then suspended for the winter season
- Since October 2006 – five pairs of passenger trains run between Golmud and Lhasa, and one more pair between Xining and Golmud
WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES BECAUSE OF HIGH ALTITUDE & OXYGEN SUPPLY & MEDICAL ISSUES ?
- The passenger carriages used on Lhasa trains are specially built and have an oxygen supply for each passenger
- Every passenger train has a doctor
- A Passenger Health Registration Card is required to take the train between Golmud and Lhasa
- The card can be obtained when purchasing the ticket
- Passengers must read the health notice for high-elevation travel and sign the agreement on the card to take the train
HOW WAS THE CONSTRUCTION DONE ?
- Tanggula railway station, located at 5,068 m (16,627 ft), is the highest station in the world
- The capital of the Qinghai Province, Xining, became connected with the rest of the country by rail in 1959, when the Lanqing Railway from Lanzhou was completed
- The 815 km section of the future Qingzang Railway from Xining to Golmud, Qinghai opened to traffic in 1984
- But the remaining 1142 km (710 mi) section from Golmud to Lhasa could not be constructed until technical difficulties of building railroad tracks on permafrost were solved
- This section was formally started on 29 June 2001 and finished on 12 October 2005 and signaling work and track testing took another eight months
- It was completed in five years at a cost of $3.68 billion
- Track-laying in Tibet was launched from both directions, towards Tanggula Mountain and Lhasa from Amdo railway station on 22 June 2004
- On 24 August 2005, track was laid at the railway’s highest point, the Tanggula Pass, 5072 m (16640 feet) above sea level
- There are 44 stations, among them Tanggula Mountain railway station, at 5068 m (16,627 ft) the world’s highest
- Peru’s Ticlio railway station at 4829 m (15843 ft) is the highest in the Americas (Cóndor station; at 4786 m or 15702 ft, on the Rio Mulatos-Potosí line, Bolivia, and La Galera station at 4777 m or 15673 ft, in Peru, being the next highest)
- The Qingzang Railway project involved more than 20000 workers and over 6000 pieces of industrial equipment and is one of China’s major accomplishments of the 21st century
- The construction of the railway was part of the China Western Development strategy, an attempt to develop the western provinces of China, which are much less developed than eastern China
- The railway will be extended to Zhangmu via Shigatse (日喀则) to the west, and Dali via Nyingchi (林芝) to the east
- A further extension is planned to link Shigatse with Yadong near the China-India border
- Chinese-Tibetan folk singer Han Hong has a song called Tianlu (Road to Heaven; 天路) praising the Qingzang Railway
WHAT WERE THE CHALLENGES ?
AND
HOW WERE THEY OVERCOME ?
PERMAFROST : SNOW FREEZE & THAW
- There are many technical difficulties for such a railway
- About half of the second section was built on barely permanent permafrost
- In the summer – the uppermost layer thaws, and the ground becomes muddy
- The heat from the trains passing above is able to melt the permafrost even with a small change in temperature
- The main engineering challenge, aside from oxygen shortages, is the weakness of the permafrost
- For areas of permafrost that are not very fragile, an embankment of large rocks is sufficient
- Meanwhile, in the most fragile areas, the rail bed must be elevated like a bridge
- The engineers dealt with this problem in the areas of weakest permafrost by building elevated tracks with pile-driven foundations sunk deep into the ground
- Similar to the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System, portions of the track are also passively cooled with ammonia-based heat exchangers
- Due to Climate change, temperatures in the Tibetan Plateau may be considered to increase by an estimated two to three degrees Celsius
- This change is sufficient to melt the permafrost and thereby affect the integrity of the entire system
- The effects of climate change have yet to be seen
AIR RARIFICATION : REDUCED OXYGEN SUPPLY
- The air in Tibet is much thinner, with oxygen partial pressure being 35% to 40% below that at sea level
- Special passenger carriages are used, and several oxygen factories were built along the railway
- Each seat in the train is equipped with an oxygen supply outlet for any possible emergency
- The Chinese government claimed that no construction workers died during the construction due to altitude sickness related diseases
EARTHQUAKE / FAULT ZONE
- The railway passes the Kunlun Mountains, an earthquake zone
- The 7.8 Mw Kunlun earthquake struck in 2001 (but caused no fatalities)
- Dozens of earthquake monitors have been installed along the railway
WHAT IS THE BROAD BENEFITS & IMPACT OF THIS RAILWAY ?
ALL WEATHER CONSISTENT & RELIABLE CONNECTIVITY TO TIBET YEAR ROUND
ECONOMIC IMPACT
- With limited industrial capacity in Tibet, the Tibetan economy heavily relies on industrial products from more developed parts of China
- Transport of goods in and out of Tibet was mostly through the Qingzang Highway connecting Tibet to the adjacent Qinghai province, which was built in the early 1950s
- The length and terrain have limited the capacity of the highway, with less than 1 million tons of goods transported each year
- With the construction of the Qingzang railway, the cost of transportation of both passengers and goods should be greatly reduced – allowing for an increase in volume
- The cost per tonne-kilometer will be reduced from 0.38 RMB to 0.12 RMB
- It is projected that by 2010, 2.8 million tons will be carried to and from Tibet, with over 75% carried by the railway
- Before the railway, the purchasing power of 100 RMB in Lhasa was only commensurate with 54 RMB in coastal regions of China, mainly due to high transport costs
- The railway could elevate living standards along the route
SOCIAL IMPACT
- The Qingzang railway has promoted the inheritance of Tibetan culture and religion, as the opening of the railway has increased the number of worshippers from all over the country coming to Lhasa
- It also advantages Tibetans with accessibility to the rest part of China for tertiary education, employment, and market for local industries
- The railway has introduced more tourism industries to the region with jobs for the local people
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
- Interference on earth, vegetation, and surface water heat exchange, which may cause freeze-thaw erosion and melting of ice if not handled properly
- To reduce the interference, trash and excrement on the trains are collected into two sealed containers in each car, instead of disposing them on the tracks, and are taken out at large stations
- There are also concerns from the China Meteorological Administration that melting, due to global warming, of the permafrost in Tibet on which part of the railway is placed may threaten the railway within the 21st century
- Being envisaged as an animal friendly Railway – To mitigate the effects of this railway on wild animals such as Tibetan antelope and plants – 33 wildlife crossing railway bridges were constructed specifically to allow continued animal migration
