Cai Qinghua, former Vice Minister of Railways and now member of
the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, revealed on
the 7th that Qinghai-Tibet Railway will officially start running on
July 1, 2007. By then it will take no more than three days to
travel from Beijing to Lhasa in a domestic gas engine train with
strong horsepower.
Cai indicated that with specially designed hermetic closure,
trains on the Qinghai-Tibet Railway can guarantee smooth operation
in an extremely cold and anoxic environment. They are equipped with
a plateau oxygen supply system. Oxygen will be added to the entire
cabin and oxygen content in air will remain at the level that is
comfortable for human body so as to help passengers overcome
altitude stress.
Cai said that trains can run about 120 kilometers per hour on
the plateau, which will shorten the riding time between Beijing and
Lhasa to less than three days.
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(China News Service March 10, 2006)
