The first China-South Asia freight train arrives in Tibet

The first China-South Asia freight train from Guangzhou slowly arrived with a whistle into Lhasa’s freight train station after five days of travel on the morning of Dec. 5.  

The first China-South Asia train sets off from Guangdong Province, passes through the Chengdu-Chongqing Railway, the Qinghai-Tibet Railway, Lhasa-Shigatse Railway, Shigatse-Gyirong highway and then arrives in Kathmandu, Nepal.

The whole journey is 6,070 kilometers (of which 5,200km railway and 870km highway). It is also the first time for Tibet to take the modern method of highway-railway multimodal freight train.         

The opening of the route is an important measure for Tibet Autonomous Region to complement its logistics shortage, promote the integration development of domestic and foreign trades, develop open economy and deepen opening up to the outside world. 

The success opening of the China-South Asia train is of great significance for promoting continued development of trade between China and Nepal, said Gobind Bahadur Kalki, Consul General of the Consulate General of Nepal in Lhasa. He hopes that its operation will make the two countries tie closely, and also promote long-term, coordinated and sustainable development in politics, the economy and other areas for both countries.