Qinghai-Tibet Railway Passenger Service to Begin in July 2006, Six Months Early

Zhang Shuguang, Director of the Transportation Bureau of the Ministry of Railways, announced that the Qinghai-Tibet railroad will begin commercial operation on July 1, 2006, according to December 12 articles in Xinhua and China Daily. Zhang said that direct connection to the new railway line will be available at Beijing's West Railway Station from July 1, according to Xinhua, and that other Chinese cities, including Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Chengdu, will launch direct railway passenger service to Lhasa on July 1.

The new timetable appears to be a six-month advance in the starting date for passenger service on the Qinghai-Tibet railway, and earlier than Minister of Railways Liu Zhijun disclosed in March 2005 remarks reported by Xinhua. Liu said that "trial operation" of the railway would begin on July 1, 2006. Passenger service to Xining and other Chinese cities would be available "after it opens to traffic" in 2007, according to the report. An October 15 China Daily article on the completion of track-laying also indicated that commercial passenger transportation would start in 2007, saying, "Once signaling and track testing is completed in the next 15 months, it will be possible to travel from Beijing to Lhasa in 48 hours."

Chinese news media reports do not explain why the Railways Ministry moved up the date for starting the passenger service, or if the period of track and signal testing will be completed before commercial passenger transportation begins. According to the October China Daily report, the project will cost an estimated 33 billion yuan. This project not only is the most expensive infrastructure project in any Tibetan area of China, but also has the greatest potential to affect Tibetans and their culture. The China Daily report acknowledged that the railway will "attract tourists, traders, and ethnic Chinese settlers" to the region.

See Section VI - "Tibet," Culture, Development, and Demography, of the CECC 2005 Annual Report for more information on the Qinghai-Tibet railway and related issues.