China's self-developed Fuxing bullet train will soon run on the Qinghai-Xizang Railway, as an upgrade of the section linking Xining city with Golmud, both in Qinghai Province, is undergoing final inspection and handover preparation, China Railway Qinghai-Xizang Group Co said. “The section between Xining and Golmud opened for traffic in May 1984. The operation of Fuxing trains that run at 160 kilometers per hour will mark another milestone in the plateau railway's development and represents notable progress for regional transport,” the company said. The company will test electricity supplies, communications signals, vehicle facilities and environmental protection. Following the final inspection and handover, test runs will be carried out. The travel time for the fastest trains on the 829-kilometer Xining-Golmud section will be reduced to about 4.8 hours, about two hours faster than the current fastest trains. Fuxing bullet trains debuted on the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau in June 2021 with the operation of the Lhasa-Nyingchi railway.
“After the renovation of the Qinghai-Xizang Railway, the bullet trains will run for a longer section on the plateau and experience a more harsh environment. In this sense, the latest progress is a breakthrough for the country's high-plateau railway development,” Sun Zhang, Railway Expert from Shanghai Tongji University, told the Global Times. This shows that the Fuxing trains, which are entirely designed and manufactured by and in China, are comprehensive innovations that can adapt to different geological and weather conditions, he said. “With a large transport volume, fast speed, sound security and green energy, railways play an important role in China's aim to become a country with a strong transportation network," he said.
The upgrade will drive up cargo and passenger flows in Tibet, boost regional economic cooperation in the tourism and mineral industries, and expand trade with neighboring countries, according to Sun. Construction of the railway started in 1958, and the section linking Xining and Golmud was finished in 1984. The section between Golmud and Lhasa opened to traffic in 2006. In July 2022, the company started to upgrade the railway to support electric, multiple-unit high-speed trains. With a total length of 1,956 kilometers, the Qinghai-Xizang Railway operates at the highest altitude and for the longest distance in the world. It starts from Xining, capital of Qinghai, and ends in Lhasa, regional capital of Tibet. From its opening in 2006 to the end of 2022, the Qinghai-Xizang line carried 803 million tons of goods and 265 million passengers, the Global Times reports.
In East China, the second Shanghai-Nanjing intercity high-speed railway spanning the Yangtze River entered joint testing, bringing some of the country’s most economically vital cities within an hour’s reach of each other. “Construction of the high-speed rail began in October 2018. Power supply started in December 2021 and track laying began in September 2022. Now it has entered joint testing. Once operational, trains on the new line will cover the 279 km between Shanghai and Nanjing at up to 350 kilometers per hour and stopping in eight cities along the way. Jiangsu cities like Jintan and Jiangyin, will get access to the national high-speed rail network, fueling ambitions to become integral cities of the Yangtze River delta’s booming economy.
