Chinese President Hu Jintao has urged local officials to get hold of the
opportunities brought by the Qinghai-Tibet Railway to bolster the prosperity and
ethnic unity in the country's west areas.
The railway stretches 1,956 km from Xining, provincial capital of Qinghai, to
Lhasa, capital of Tibet Autonomous Region. It went into operation on Saturday.
Right after the celebration marking the launching of the railway, the
president got on a train Saturday noon to inspect the construction and operation
of the railway, praising the contribution of workers in the past years to
construct the highest rail in the world.
Some 960 km of the railway's tracks are located 4,000 meters above sea level
and the highest point is 5,072 meters. Actually, a section of 814 km from Xining
to Golmud began operation in 1984 and the Golmud-Lhasa section started
construction on June 29, 2001.
Hu asked local officials to make full use of resources to accelerate economic
and social development and improve the people's living standard. In the
meantime, the environment should be protected well for the benefit of future
generations.
At a railway station, Hu visited the control rooms for the operation of
trains and tracks, and asked about the living and working conditions of railway
staff in the plateau areas, wishing them good health and calling on them to
contribute more to the country's railway contribution.
