China opens train line to Tibet

2006-07-01 18:08

Beijing - China opened the world's highest railway on Saturday, celebrating the link to Tibet as a feat of national strength and ethnic harmony while critics decried it as a threat to Tibetan culture and the environment.

Chinese President Hu Jintao waved farewell as the first train left Golmud, the dusty outpost in the far-western province of Qinghai that is the start of the new 1 142km route to the Tibetan capital of Lhasa.

"The building of the Qinghai-Tibet railway is of major significance for accelerating the economic and social development of Tibet and Qinghai, improving the lives of people of every ethnicity, and strengthening unity between ethnic groups," said Hu.

The trains will pass spectacular icy peaks on the Tibetan highlands, and reach altitudes of 5 000m above sea level.

Lhasa, which leaves many visitors gasping for breath, lies at about 3 650m.

Lhasa trip is 48 hours

To counter the harsh conditions, passengers have pressurised cabins and the option of oxygen masks. Double-layered glass windows cut out harmful ultra-violet rays.

The first train from Beijing leaves on Saturday evening and reaches Lhasa 48 hours later, after a 4 000km journey.

Trains from Lhasa and from Chengdu, southwest China, also left on Saturday.

China said the railway took five years to build and could double tourism and slash transport costs to Tibet.

Speaking in Lhasa on Saturday, Tibet's Communist Party chief Zhang Qingli said the railway "presents a precious opportunity to ensure the country's lasting order and stability".

'Tibetan culture is threatened'

The International Campaign for Tibet, which presses for the region's autonomy, said officials had demanded that homes along the route show Chinese flags and patriotic slogans.

Critics say the railway will spur an influx of long-term migrants and this threatens Tibetans' cultural integrity, which rests on Buddhist beliefs and a traditional herding lifestyle.

Tibetans in exile in Dharamsala, northern India, called Saturday a "black day".

Environmental opponents said the railroad across fragile, frozen highlands was an environmental peril. Some scientists said global warming could buckle the tracks as the frozen ground thaws.

- Reuters