China’s 1st high-speed Bullet train in Himalayan region reaches close to Indian border in Tibet!

Financial Express
June 26, 2021 (India)

The inauguration of 435.5 km long section Lhasa-Nyingchi of the Sichuan-Tibet Railway has been done ahead of the centenary celebrations of the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC) on July 1.

On Friday, the first fully electrified bullet train was operationalized by China in the remote Himalayan region of Tibet, connecting Lhasa, which is the provincial capital, and Nyingchi, a Tibetan border town that is strategically located close to the state of Arunachal Pradesh. The inauguration of 435.5 km long section Lhasa-Nyingchi of the Sichuan-Tibet Railway has been done ahead of the centenary celebrations of the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC) on July 1, a PTI report said. On Friday morning, the electrified railway in Tibet Autonomous Region opened for the first time, linking Lhasa with Nyingchi as on the Himalayan plateau region, “Fuxing” bullet trains enter official operation. The news was reported by state-run Xinhua news agency.

After the Qinghai-Tibet Railway, the Sichuan-Tibet Railway will be the second railway into Tibet. The railway line will go through the southeast of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, which is known to be one of the world’s most geologically active areas. In the month of November, China’s President Xi Jinping had instructed officials to expedite the new railway project’s construction, saying the new railway line would play a major role in safeguarding the stability of the border. Starting from Chengdu, capital of Sichuan Province, the Sichuan-Tibet Railway will travel through Ya’an and enter Tibet via Qamdo, reducing the travel time from Chengdu to Lhasa to 13 hours from 48 hours.

According to the report, Nyingchi is prefecture-level city of Medog, which is located adjacent to the border of Arunachal Pradesh. China claims that the northeastern state of India, Arunachal Pradesh is a part of South Tibet. However, India firmly rejects this claim. The dispute over the India-China border covers the 3,488 km long Line of Actual Control. Qian Feng, Director of National Strategy Institute at Tsinghua University’s research department, had earlier told Global Times that if a crisis situation occurs at the China-India border, a great convenience will be provided by the railway for China’s delivery of strategic materials.

(representational image)

Source:

https://www.financialexpress.com/infrastructure/railways/chinas-1st-high-speed-bullet-train-in-himalayan-region-reaches-close-to-indian-border-in-tibet/2278144/