Tibetan Railroad Proves A Boon to Area Economy

Tibet Autonomous Region officials said over the weekend that a 33-billion-yuan (US$4.2 billion) railway linking it to neighboring Qinghai Province has helped its economy develop.

Tibet's economy this year grew with contributions from trade and consumption, instead of relying solely on investments, Hao Peng, vice chairman of the local government, told reporters in Lhasa on Saturday. Tibet's economy grew 14.7 percent to 14 billion yuan (US$1.8 billion) in the first half of this year, with consumption accounting for 37 percent of total gross domestic product, he said.

Developing Tibet is part of the government's 5.77 trillion yuan investment in west China to help boost the country's poorest regions, according to the National Bureau of Statistics. The Qinghai-to-Tibet railway spans 1,956 kilometers and started operating on July 1 last year.

"It's a dream come true to have the railway link built," Nima Ciren, who is also vice chairman of the autonomous region, said at the same briefing. "We've not seen any negative side-effects, ecologically or economically, arising from the Qinghai-Tibet railway, only benefits."

Freight such as sundries, construction materials and beer transported to and from Lhasa via the Qinghai-Tibet railway link totals about 500 metric tons a day, Chen Zhanying, station master at the Lhasa Cargo Station in the western part of the capital city, said on Saturday. The link brings four passenger trains a day to Lhasa, each carrying about 700 people.

"I get more variety of provisions like instant noodles and bottled drinks, because the trains carry more items than trucks," said Drolkar, a provision shop owner at Caibalang village in the outskirts of Lhasa, who goes by one name. "The produce is fresher, cheaper too, cutting my costs."

Tibet has vowed to place protection of its glaciers, wetlands and grasslands as a priority ahead of development of industries such as tourism and manufacturing in its economic planning.

"We don't want to make the mistake of accelerating economic development at the expanse of eroding the environment," Nima said. "We're not going to just develop all the mineral resources without close scrutiny. The projects must first be environmentally friendly."