| UPDATED: June 11, 2009 NO. 22 JUNE 4, 2009 | | Qinghai-Tibet Railway | | The total length of the railway is 1,956 km. Construction of the 815-km section between Xining and Golmud, Qinghai, was completed by 1984, and the 1,142-km section between Golmud and Lhasa was inaugurated on July 1, 2006 | | | 
The Qinghai-Tibet Railway, the world's highest and longest plateau railroad, was inaugurated on July 1, 2006, one year ahead of schedule. The high-altitude railway, which connects Xining, capital of Qinghai Province, with Lhasa, capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region, is also the first railway to connect inland China with Tibet. The total length of the railway is 1,956 km. Construction of the 815-km section between Xining and Golmud, Qinghai, was completed by 1984, and the 1,142-km section between Golmud and Lhasa was inaugurated on July 1, 2006. Builders of the railway overcame numerous difficulties, including permafrost, thin air and vulnerable ecology. The railway has replaced highways to Tibet as the major freight carrier. |
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