The Qinghai-Tibet Railway, the first railway to Tibet opened to traffic 17 years ago, ended the history of no railway in Tibet, and fulfilled the dream of many people to go to Tibet by train. In the following 15 years, China's railway construction has developed by leaps and bounds. On June 25, 2021, the Lalin Railway opened and the bullet train entered Lhasa. This is another milestone event, marking that all provinces in China have bullet trains. Group. The Lalin Railway is an important part of the Sichuan-Tibet Railway and also an important part of the Yunnan-Tibet Railway.

Sichuan-Tibet Railway

The Sichuan-Tibet Railway refers to the railway line from Chengdu, Sichuan to Lhasa. It has very important strategic significance and will also be a line that will really stimulate the economic development of Tibet. Everyone knows that the Qinghai-Tibet Railway is a normal-speed railway, and it goes all the way to the north. If you want to go out of Lhasa, go to the Yangtze River Delta and Chengdu, you have to take a long detour, which is inconvenient. In fact, the earliest plan to enter Tibet was the Sichuan-Tibet Railway. As early as 1918, Mr. Sun Yat-sen mentioned in the "Industrial Plan" that the Sichuan-Tibet Railway would be built. The construction was completed quickly, so the Qinghai-Tibet Railway was built first. During this period, the Sichuan-Tibet Railway was temporarily put on hold.

The Chengya section of the Sichuan-Tibet Railway starts from Chengdu West Railway Station, passes through Chaoyang Lake, and ends at Ya'an, with 11 stations built along the road. From Chengdu West to Chaoyang Lake, the design speed is 200 kilometers per hour; and from Chaoyang Lake to Ya'an, the design speed is 160 kilometers per hour. This section of the line, with a total length of 140 kilometers, was officially opened for operation on December 28, 2018, and it has also become the first EMU line connecting Chengdu and Ya'an. It is of great significance to Ya'an's economic development.

The Yalin section of the Sichuan-Tibet Railway is the most critical section of the Sichuan-Tibet Railway and plays a decisive role in the opening of the Sichuan-Tibet Railway. The road section is planned to be completed in 10 years. Construction has started in November 2020 and is scheduled to be completed in November 2030. State leaders attach great importance to the construction of the Sichuan-Tibet Railway and have issued important instructions many times.

The total length of this section is 1011 kilometers, of which the total length of bridges and tunnels is 965.74 kilometers, and the ratio of bridges and tunnels is as high as 95.8%. From this data, we can know that the construction of this line is very difficult. A total of 26 stations are designed on the whole line, with double-track construction, and the design speed: 120 to 200 kilometers per hour. According to the geographical terrain and different road sections, different speeds are designed.

The La-Lin section of the Sichuan-Tibet Railway, also known as the La-Lin Railway, is a single-track construction, and it is also the only section of the Sichuan-Tibet Railway with a single-line construction. The design speed is 160 kilometers per hour and the entire length is 403 kilometers. The original plan was to open at the end of 2021, but the overall opening time was brought forward After half a year, it was opened on June 25, 2021, and formal operation began. This line created many firsts in the history of Tibet railway construction, and achieved full coverage of operators' signals along the entire line, which greatly improved the quality of railway operation.

Construct meaning

According to the plan, if the construction progresses smoothly, the Sichuan-Tibet Railway will be completed in November 2030, and the entire line will be opened. At that time, it will be possible to travel from Chengdu to Lhasa by train. The opening of this line will be of great significance.

First of all, it is obvious that it will drive the rapid development of tourism in Tibet. The Qinghai-Tibet Railway, which must be a common railway, is not very convenient for travel to Tibet in the southwest direction. It is of great significance in terms of freight, but it is not obvious for tourism travel. However, the Sichuan-Tibet Railway is different. It runs on multiple trains, which is faster and more convenient, and it also passes many important tourist attractions along the way.

Secondly, it is also the original intention of building the Sichuan-Tibet Railway, which is its important national defense value and the significance of promoting national unity, maintaining China's national unity, and consolidating border stability.

Finally, the Sichuan-Tibet Railway will be connected with the Yunnan-Tibet Railway. From the Yunnan-Tibet Railway, you can go abroad to Southeast Asian countries such as Myanmar and Laos. It is very important for the further improvement and optimization of China’s railway network, the realization of internationalization, and the support of the national strategy of the Belt and Road Initiative. meaning. Editor/He Yuting