Across china: Beijing

Railway branch

A branch line of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway that will link Lhasa with Xigaze, a major Tibetan city some 280 kilometers to its southwest, is likely to start construction this year.

Jin Shixun, director of the regional development and reform commission, was quoted by People's Daily overseas edition as saying that the authorities hoped the feasibility study could be completed by the end of this month, and the preliminary design by the end of May, while the actual construction could be started within the year.