Sichuan-Tibet Railway extending to plateau
At the beginning of 2017, 26 bridges and seven tunnels between Chengdu Plain and Ya'an City were under busy construction. Lhasa-Nyingchi Railway, a segment of Sichuan-Tibet Railway, was built in full swing.
Sichuan-Tibet Railway, a key project in the 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-20), is the second “heavenly road” after Qinghai-Tibet Railway. It starts from Chengdu, goes through Ya'an, Garze, Chamdo and Nyingch, and finally arrives at Lhasa. The 1,900-kilometer railway perches at over 3,000 meters above sea level. It will cross many fault zones. It's like the largest rollercoaster in the world.
With a total length of 1,739 meters, Jinji Guan No.2 tunnel is the first tunnel from hilly area in Sichuan to Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. It is expected to be completed in March.
The railway is divided into three sections from west to east: Lhasa-Nyingchi, Nyingchi-Kangting, and Kangting-Chengdu. In June of 2018, Chengdu-Ya’an Railway will be open to traffic. The survey and research of Ya'an-Kangting Railway has been finished. With an investment of about 36.67 billion yuan, 435-kilometer Lhasa-Nyingchi Railway has started building in June of 2015. Kangting-Nyingchi Railway is the longest segment, which is also the most difficult part in the construction of Chengdu-Tibet Railway.
The survey of Sichuan-Tibet Railway began in the early days of the PRC. In 2014, the railway has started building. It will meander through mountains and cross the major rivers such as Menjiang, Lancangjiang, Jinshajiang and Yarlung Zangbo, the highest of which is about 4,400 meters. To travel from Chengdu to Lhasa will take about 13 hours by train.