Qinghai-Tibet Railway preparing for first winter
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2006-10-01 15:24
BEIJING, Oct. 1 -- The Ministry of Railways is carrying out detailed
inspections and maintenance along China's Qinghai-Tibet Railway to ensure the
trains run safely across the world's highest plateau during the winter, said
ministry spokesman, Wang Yongping.
About 550 kilometers of track run over unstable permafrost which is prone to
heaving. Temperatures high up on the Qinhai plateau can drop to minus 45 degrees
in the winter.
Wang said emergency measures are also being developed.
The Qinghai-Tibet Railway stretches 1,956 kilometers from Xining, capital of
northwest China's Qinghai Province, to Lhasa, capital of Tibet Autonomous
Region. About 960 kilometers of the track is 4,000 meters above sea level, with
the highest point at 5,072 meters.
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