Lhasa-Nyingchi Railway is expected to start construction within 2014 soon after the completion of Lhasa-Shigatse Railway construction that is scheduled in September.
Running 433 kilometers and covering 34 stations including nine major ones, Lhasa-Nyingchi Railway will build 402-kilometer new lines, which is designed to have a speed of 160 kilometer per hour with a declared investment of 33 billion yuan (5.4 billion US dollars).
According to the plan, Lhasa-Nyingchi Railway will start from the Shelrong Station of the Lhasa-Shigatse Railway under construction, cross Yarlung Tsangpo River and Lhoka Prefecture of southeastern Tibet, and finally arrive in Nyingchi.
At present the external traffic of Nyingchi and Lhoka Prefecture depends on highway primarily and is supplemented by airline.
However, transport disruptions due to special weather conditions may break down the land and air routes occasionally; and the abundant natural resources also call for a stronger transportation support of the area.
Furthermore, a world-class landscape gallery would be formed after the construction of Lhasa-Nyingchi Railway, which will connect not only the tourism resources along the line, but also famous scenic areas such as Jiuzhaigou Valley, Yellow Dragon Scenic Area and Qinghai Lake, as well as tourist cities including Chengdu, Dali and Lijiang, through a railway network covering Chengdu-Nyingchi Railway, Yunnan- Tibet Railway, Qinghai-Tibet Railway and Lhasa-Shigatse Railway.
