Kunming-Dali Raiway

Kunming-Dali Raiway was finished in last century.

Dali-Lijiang railway to complete Oct'09, paving way for Yunnan-Tibet train.

The article reports on the completion of the laying of train tracks between Dali and Lijiang railways in Yunnan Province as part of building a Yunnan-Tibet railway in October 2009 in China. According to sources from Chengdu Railway Bureau, the next to be built will be the electricity of the railway, telecommunications and signal systems. It mentions that the line is expected to be open for passenger transportation before the National Day Holiday in October.

Ernnrient would introduce large state- owned enterprises in a cooperative development of the region's mining resources. n China ogles at Tibet mineral reserves worth 600 bin yuan Verified mineral deposits in theTibet Autonomous Region(TAR) have a total value esti- mated at over 600 billion yuan (72.6 billion US dollars), reported China's official Xinhuanet news service Sep 12, citing the Tibet Autonomous Regional Department of Land and Resources. So far, 102 types of minerals have been found in the region, it said. The report also said that currently the TAR ranked among the top five in the PRCin verified reserves of 12 types of minerals, and ranked first in re- serves of chrome and copper.

The report cited Dorje, a leading of- ficial of the department, as saying that presently, nine key zones had been marked off for mining industrial devel- opment, including the Yulong copper production base in eastern Tibet (lo- cated in Chamdo) and Nyixong iron production base in southern central TAR. Besides, he had indicated that mining zones in Lhasa's Maizhokunggar (Tibetan: Maldro- gungkar) County and around northern Tibet's salt lakes were expected to be- come national bases for developing mineral resources.

Q Building of Sichuan-Tibet railway not yet scheduled China's railway officials have denied the country's official news reports Sep1 that the construction of the proposed Sichuan-Tibet railway would startin Sep'O9. The official Xinhua news agency Sep 2 cited officials in charge of the railway planning from the Ministry of Railways as saying the railway was an important project in the future planning of the country's network, but work on the difficult project had not started, and there was no timetable for construction yet. On the other hand, the party mouth- piece People's Daily Sep 3, citing Xinhua, said the project had only been delayed.

And the official chinadaily.com.cn Sep 2 cited a Ministry of Railway official as saying the Sichuan-Tibet railway project was only just added to China's middle-and-long term railway con- struction plan last year, and so it was still in its planning stage. The People's Daily report said the railway's planners were still examining intricate and diffi- cult geological conditions along the proposed lines…

Lijiang-Shangrila Railway
On 10th June, Diqing plateau became an ocean of joy. People of ethnic Tibetan, Lisu, Naxi, Bai and Yi gathered at the cargo terminal construction site of Shangri-La Town to hold a meeting, celebrating the commencement of China's second Tibet Railway —— Lijiang-Shangri-La railway.

The railway that will cover 23,870 square kilometers and serve 373,000 people (of which 83.56% are ethnic minorities) will extend from Diqing plateau. It will connect the Dali Railway and the Tibet Autonomous Region.

As an important part of "the western railway network" and Yunnan-Tibet Railway in China's medium and long-term railway net work plan, Lijiang-Shangri-La railway starts from Lixiang station of Dali Railway, crossing the Jinsha River northward, passing Xiao Zhongdian, where it finally arrives in Shangri-La. Lijiang-Shangri-La railway not only traverses the richest and most unique regions in Yunnan Province containing biotechnology, mining, electricity and water resources, but also the habitat for ethnic minorities like Tibetan, Naxi, Yi, Lisu, Pumi and Bai.

Luo Zhengfu, vice governor of Yunnan province said at the meeting, "Construction of the Lijiang- Shangri-La railway will have a significant influence on promoting economic and social development in the northwest area: it can help to ease the backwardness of the transportation situation in northwest Yunnan, optimize the inter-regional allocation of resources, promote the deep exploration of tourism, hydropower and mineral resources and maintain stability in Tibet."

Full use of electric traction along the entire railway line

Speeding up railway construction in Yunnan Province was an important measure to cope with the international financial crisis, to stimulate domestic demand and economic growth and to promote the long-term development of Yunnan province. Yunnan province will take Lijiang-Shangri-La railway as a new opportunity to further set off an upsurge of railway construction in the province. Projects like Kunming Hinge Expansion, Yu-Kun Railway Expansion, the South East Link Dianchi Lake, Yun-Gui Railway, Shanghai-Kunming Railway line will all be launched within the year as to ensure eight billion yuan railway construction investment.

According to the approval of National Development and Reform Commission, the 139-kilometer-long Lijiang-Shangri-La railway is a level 1 National Railway. Electric traction is employed the whole length of the line, and the designed speed of the line is 120 km per hour. Being a part of the Yunnan-Tibet Railway, Lijiang-Shangri-La railway connects cities like Dali and Kunming. After the completion of Lijiang-Shangri-La Railway, more than 600 kilometers of railway line will be linked.

Total investment of this project amounts to 9.2 billion yuan and the project capital is 4.6 billion yuan, accounting for 50% of the total investment. Among which, the Ministry of Railways arranges 3.22 billion yuan fund for railway construction, accounting for 70% of the capital, while the Yunnan Provincial Capital Budget arranges 1.38 billion yuan, accounting for 30% of the capital. The remaining 4.6 billion yuan is from bank loans. The whole project is scheduled to complete in 6 years.

China sets out to build second railway to Tibet- People's Daily Online (http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/90001/90778/90857/90860/6677607.html)

Lhasa-Nyingtri railway building may begin in 2013.

A railway will be paved between Lhasa, capital of Tibet and Nyingchi, at the earliest in 2013.

Project of the Lhasa-Nyingchi Railway is now at the feasibility study stage with two designs going southward and northward under discussion.

The experts prefer the southward scheme since it is relatively easier than the other in terms of difficulty of construction.

The southward scheme suggests building the railway down by the Lhasa River, going eastward through Gongga, passing by Nedong, Nang, Mailing , spanning the Nyang River and ending in Nyingchi County. The total lenght is estimated at 440 kilometers.

The other design with a total length of 330 kilometers proposes to pave the railway along the NO.318 national highway via the Maizhokunggar County, Milar Mountain and Gongbo Gyamda.

Lin Shijin, head of the experts group, the most scientific time to build the Lhasa-Nyingchi Railway is in 2013.

Source: China Tibet Information Center

Sichuan-Tibet railway project delayedBy Dai Xu and Huang Zhiling (China Daily)

CHENGDU:
Construction on a highly anticipated rail line linking Chengdu in Sichuan province to Lhasa in Tibet will not start this month, according to the Ministry of Railway, contradicting recent media reports.

The railway's planners are still examining intricate and difficult geological conditions along the proposed lines, according to the ministry spokesman, who was quoted by Xinhua News Agency.

A new start date has not been set, the spokesman said.

The railway's construction will have to overcome frozen earth, landslides, rock slides, cold weather and a lack of oxygen due to high altitude in some places.

The proposed railway will span 1,629 km, 650 km of which will be in Sichuan. Trains will travel at a maximum speed of 200 km per hour and will take only eight hours to reach Lhasa, the capital of the Tibet autonomous region, according to Wang Minghui, deputy chief of the Chengdu railway administration.

 
The rail line is expected to be finished in eight years with an investment of nearly 54 billion yuan ($7.9 billion) in State funds.

Travelers now have two ways to reach Lhasa from Chengdu: by National Highway No 318, which takes three days, and via Train T22, which takes nearly 45 hours.

"Because only one train leaves Chengdu for Lhasa every other day, and vice versa, it is quite difficult to get tickets," said Chen Zhuo, an official with the Chengdu railway station.

Construction of the Sichuan-Tibet railway is expected to propel economic and tourism development along the line.

The Hengduan Mountains near the line have an abundance of natural resources, including water, vegetation and minerals, said Li Changping, chief of the Ganzi Tibetan autonomous prefecture in Sichuan.

The Yulong Copper Mine near the mountain in Tibet has a proven reserve of 6.5 million tons of copper, first among the country's copper mines.

Eighty-two counties and districts along the line in Sichuan and Yunnan provinces and Tibet boast snow-capped mountains, grasslands, and Tibetan and Buddhist cultures.