Timeline

1958

Construction begins on the Xining-Golmud section, the first phase of the Qinghai-Xizang Railway. The project is suspended in 1961 because of economic difficulties.

1974

Construction of the Xining-Golmud section resumes, with some 60,000 workers joining the project on the plateau.

September 1979

Track laying is completed on the Xining-Golmud section, allowing provisional operations to begin.

May 1, 1984

The 814-kilometer Xining-Golmud section officially enters operation.

June 29, 2001

Construction begins on the Golmud-Lhasa section, the railway's second phase and its most technically challenging stretch, which requires solutions to permafrost and other high-altitude engineering difficulties.

July 1, 2006

The 1,142-kilometer Golmud-Lhasa section opens to traffic, marking the full operation of the Qinghai-Xizang Railway and ending Xizang's history without rail service.

Aug 16, 2014

The 251-kilometer Lhasa-Shigatse Railway, an extension of the Qinghai-Xizang Railway, opens, further improving Xizang's railway network.

June 25, 2021

The 435-kilometer Lhasa-Nyingchi Railway opens. Fuxing bullet trains make their debut in Xizang, ending the region's history without electrified railways.

SOURCE: CHINA STATE RAILWAY GROUP