Beijing, Aug 28: China has successfully completed one of the most difficult stretch of railway lines at a height of over 4,700 metres that would form part of the world's highest Qinghai-Tibet railway.
Chinese railway workers yesterday completed laying
the rails through the Hoh Xil area, a harsh nature reserve on
the Qinghai-Tibet plateau, media reports said today.
As the earth on the plateau is frozen during the
bitter winter, railway construction is possible only in the
April-November period.
The lines has successfully crossed the 4,741-meter-high
Hoh Xil mountain, making it 271 km long. Construction of the
Golmud-Lhasa section of the 1,140-km Qinghai-Tibet railway
began in June, 2001.
When completed, the Qinghai-Tibet railway will be the
highest railway in the world. Over 960 kilometres, or over
four-fifths of the railway will be built at an altitude of
more than 4,000 meters. And more than half of it will be laid
on earth that has been frozen for a long time.
Over 1,000 workers have overcome severe cold and lack
of oxygen to transport materials and build the railway. They
are now preparing to conquer the next mountain, which is more
than 4,900 meter in altitude, Xinhua news agency reported.
To ensure their health and safety, every worker is
required to work no more than six hours per day. Special
meals, necessary medicine and compulsory oxygen supplies are
provided for them.
The oxygen content of the atmosphere at the Hoh Xil
nature reserve, an uninhabited area on the Qinghai-Tibet
plateau, is only half that at sea level.
Bureau Report
