Tibet sees increasing road mileage, connectivity

LHASA -- The road network in Southwest China's Tibet autonomous region now stretches over 117,000 km, up 50 percent from the end of 2015, as the region continues to see improving connectivity.

The mileage of the rail network in the region has reached 954 km, according to data released at the ongoing fourth session of the 11th People's Congress of the region.

Transportation has long been a bottleneck inhibiting Tibet's development, as the region is situated on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau with complex geographical conditions for road construction and limited technology and funds.

Since late 2012, China has been strengthening its infrastructure investment in Tibet. So far, roads have connected 95 percent of the township-level administrations and 75 percent of the incorporated villages in the region.

As for air transportation, Tibet has launched a total of 130 air routes, with 61 cities connected by flights. The number of passenger trips made through these airports reached nearly 5.18 million in 2020.