China Launches First Fully Electrified Bullet Train in Himalayan Region

• 28 June 2021
• Construction Focus
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The 435.5-km high-speed train connecting Lhasa, the capital of southwest Tibet, and Tibet’s eastern city Nyingchi began operation on Friday 25 June, marking China’s first fully electrified bullet train in the remote Himalayan region, reported Xinhua.

With a designed speed of 160km per hour, this route is considered the first Fuxing bullet train to pass through southeast Tibet.

The train can take passengers from Lhasa to the city of Shannan in 70 minutes and to Nyingchi in 3.5 hours. Over 90% of the track sits in areas located more than 3,000 metres above sea level.

Construction of the railway started in 2014 and track-laying work was completed by the end of 2020.

The Lhasa-Nyingchi railway is part of the under-construction Sichuan-Tibet Railway that will connect Lhasa and Chengdu, the capital of the neighbouring Sichuan province. It also shares lines with the planned railway connecting southwest China’s Yunnan province and Tibet.

Photo: SCMP

• Technology and Engineering
• Road and Infrastructure