Expansion and renovation of the Golmud-Lhasa section of the Qinghai-Tibet railway is already in full swing. Five new stations will be built, six stations renovated and five new station houses added, with the hope of further improving transport capacity in and out of Tibet, according to Xinhua report.

The main task for expansion and renovation on the Golmud-Lhasa section involves building five new stations at Kunlun Mountains, Qingshui River, Kukushiri, Chuwori and Fenghuo Mountain; renovating Yuzhufeng, Tuotuo River, Bumade, Kaixinling, Wuli and Riachiqu stations; as well as adding five station houses. 

Work on the Golmud-Lhasa section of the Qinghai-Tibet railway will start with building Kunlun Bridge station. This section is located at the foot of Yuzhufeng Mountain in the Kunlun Mountains. The construction company has already completed foundation work including 16,000 cubic meters of roadbed earthwork and filling, and extension on two culverts.

During construction environmental protection is still a top priority with a focus on “less damage, more preservation; less disruption, more protection; less pollution, more prevention and control”. Construction will also ensure the landscape along the railway line isn’t damaged, surface water and groundwater aren’t contaminated and vegetation is effectively protected. Environmentally friendly equipment and construction must be designed, carried out and put to use simultaneously.

The Qinghai-Tibet railway opened in 2006 broke the long-term bottleneck restricting Tibet’s development. Data shows that, up until May 31, 2016 when the railway had been open 10 years, it had already transported 115 million passengers and 448 million tons of goods. Among these, more than 18 mln passengers and nearly 32 mln tons of good traveled in and out of Tibet.