The picture shows the Fuxing train passing through the Lalin Railway. Reporter Dan Zenglanze, Correspondent Laba Tsering, Photo by

The grasslands in northern Tibet in April are still chilly in spring, and the Linzhi River Valley, with an average altitude of 3,100 meters, is already full of pink waves. At 7:55 in the morning, the Fuxing C881 train slowly drove out from Lhasa Station, crossed the snow-capped mountains and valleys, rushed to the "Snowy River South", and encountered the most beautiful spring on the plateau.

Recently, the Propaganda Department of the Autonomous Region Party Committee and the Qinghai-Tibet Railway Group Corporation held an interview activity on the theme of "Watch China by taking the high-speed rail and visiting collectors' 'Peach Blossom Land'" to explore on-site how the Lalin Railway injects new development momentum into the snowy plateau.

By defeating the "infrastructure restricted area"

The Lalin Railway is located in the southeastern Tibetan valley between the Gangdes Mountain and the Himalayas on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. The terrain is undulating. More than 90% of the lines are above 3,000 meters above sea level, and it concentrates complex geological disasters such as strong rock explosions, wind-and-sand accumulation, high ground temperature, moraine layers, etc. The construction is extremely difficult and can be called a "infrastructure restricted area."

The rock temperature was as high as 89.3℃ during construction of the Sangzhuling Tunnel, and the builders set up ice-making and cooling teams for 24-hour ice-making and cooling operations;

The total length of the Bayu Tunnel is 13,073 meters, and the rock explosion section accounts for 94% of the tunnel, the height difference of the tunnel site is 2,300 meters, and the maximum burial depth is 2,080 meters, setting a miracle of the railway tunnel with the largest burial depth in China;

The thickness of the loose wind-created sand layer in the Gala Mountain Tunnel is 40 meters, and the railway builders have developed high-end technology for regional wind prevention and sand fixation...

Faced with severe construction conditions, railway workers "opened roads when mountains and built bridges when water", making the natural barrier turn into thoroughfare.

The construction of Lalin Railway has opened up 47 tunnels with a total length of 216.5 kilometers, accounting for 54% of the total length of the line. Yan Jun, director of the Transportation Department of Tibet Railway Construction Co., Ltd., recalled: "At that time, behind each kilometer of railway was 2,000 geological survey reports, and microseismic monitoring technology improved the accuracy of rock explosion warning to centimeter level."

Each tunnel has its own problems, but the builders defeated it one by one through integrated research on industry, accumulating a number of national patents for China's railway construction, and remarking the "plateau height" of China's infrastructure. Yan Jun said: "The technological breakthrough of this railway has achieved the leap from 'following' to 'leading' in my country's plateau railway construction technology."

The "accelerator" for the increase in herdsmen's income

On June 25, 2021, the Lalin Railway was officially opened and operated, achieving full coverage of Fuxing's 31 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities across the country. The opening of the Lalin Railway not only connects the rich cultural and tourism resources of Lhasa, Shannan and Linzhi, but also becomes a powerful engine to promote regional economic development, promote national unity, and improve people's livelihood and well-being.

The Lalin Railway was opened until February 2025, transporting 3.6922 million passengers and 1.1378 million tons of cargo.

The railway economy is becoming an "accelerator" for farmers and herdsmen to increase their income.

Dodang Village, Bayi District, Linzhi City, leverages the brand effect of "Linzhi Peach Blossoms" and vigorously develops business formats such as tent camps, cultural and creative markets, and pastoral picking through the railway. The "rail + tourism" model has allowed Duodang Village's cultural and tourism industry to usher in explosive growth. Gesangzhuoga, a villager in Duodang Village, said: "This railway is not only a transportation line, but also a 'unity road' and 'rich road' for people of all ethnic groups."

Linzhi cargo yard is located in Bujiu Township, Bayi District. In 2021, the freight yard has only tens of thousands of tons; in 2022, it will exceed 100,000 tons; in 2023, it will exceed 200,000 tons; in 2024, it will exceed 300,000 tons... The geometric growth of freight volume reflects the continuous release of economic vitality in southeastern Tibet.

With in-depth cooperation with Linzhi City cement plants, power grids, medium and large supermarkets and other enterprises, Linzhi cargo yards have formed a logistics network that radiates to the seven counties and districts of Linzhi. At present, the freight yard directly creates more than 100 jobs, and 90% of the employees come from the local area.

After the operation of Linzhi freight yard, Duodang Village formed a car transport team that was equipped with the railway. The captain of the car transport team, Bianba, said to the reporter, "Although I am busy now, the happier the more I am!"

The "Hope Track" running towards the modernization

Yongzong, a technician at Linzhi Station, could not forget the 7-day journey from Milin to Lhasa when he was in school in 1998. "Now I'm on the Fuxing, the carriage is clean and spacious, the service is thoughtful and thoughtful. It's time to chat for a while!" Yangzong said that the arrival of the train now not only shortens the travel time and is economical, but more importantly, it ensures the safety of travel.

What the railways have changed is not only the way people travel, but also the way they transport agricultural products. Relying on the high-speed rail cold chain train, agricultural and sideline products, ethnic handicrafts, etc. with Tibetan characteristics have walked out of the plateau through the railway. The Tibetan Chicken Breeding Cooperative in Jiacha County, Shannan City has achieved a 48-hour direct Tibetan eggs to the Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou Fresh Supermarket; Jiacha walnuts are sold across the country through the "rail + e-commerce" model; the external transportation volume of peppers produced in Lang County, Linzhi City has increased year by year...

The Lalin Railway has grown from a transportation line to an economic belt. It not only shortens geographical distance, but also connects urban and rural dreams, not only transports passengers and cargo, but also carries the hope of wealth among villagers.

Stop after stop, one after another. The Lalin Railway uses rails to measure the civilization thickness of the snowy plateau - it is not only a 435-kilometer transportation line, but also a "track of hope" for 1.6 million people along the route to modernization.