THE LHASA-SHIGATSE RAILWAY LINE OPENS

Text & Photo from Xinhua News Agency

The Lhasa-Shigatse Railway, the second railway in Tibet Autonomous Region and also an extension of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway, was officially put into use on August 15, 2014. The 251 kilometers railway links the regional capital Lhasa and Shigatse, the second-largest city in the region. It has a total of 14 stops including Lhasa, Xierong, Chushur, Nyemo, Rinbung and Shigatse and reduces the travel time from the current six hours by highway to around three hours. The first passenger train left Lhasa for Shigatse at 9 a.m. August 16, 2014.

The first passenger train from Lhasa to Shigatse ran on the Lhasa River bridge. Photo by Yang Bin

Passengers took a photo in front of the first train on the Lhasa-Shigatse Railway.

A Lhasa citizen Tsangzhen (Right 2) and her family traveled to Shigatse by the first train on the Lhasa-Shigatse Railway.

The 9-year-old Tibetan girl and her brother took the first passenger train from Lhasa to Shigatse on August 16, 2014.

The first train on the Lhasa-Shigatse Railway arrived at Shigatse railway station at 11:59 a.m. on August 16, 2014.