01. Jul 2006
Golmud-Lhasa railway opens
(Reuters) China opened the Golmud (Gormo)-Lhasa railway, celebrating the link to Tibet as a feat of national strength and ethnic harmony. Across the world, demonstrations were held in protest at what Tibetan exile groups called a "Black Day", and three protestors were arrested in Beijing. President Hu Jintao waved farewell as the first train left Golmud, in Qinghai province, the start of the new 1,142-km (710-mile) route to Lhasa. "The building of the Qinghai-Tibet railway is of major significance for accelerating the economic and social development of Tibet and Qinghai, improving the lives of people of every ethnicity, and strengthening unity between ethnic groups", Hu told a meeting broadcast on Chinese television. The first train from Beijing left late on 01 July and is scheduled to reach Lhasa 48 hours later, after a 4,000-km (2,500-mile) journey. Trains from Lhasa and from Chengdu in southwest China left on the same day. The Xinhua news agency said the railway, which took five years to build, could double the Tibet Autonomous Region's (TAR) tourist revenues by 2010 and slash transport costs to the TAR. TAR’s Communist Party chief Zhang Qingli said in Lhasa that the railway "presents a precious opportunity to ensure the country's lasting order and stability", state television reported, alongside images of dancing Tibetans. Critics say the railway will spur an influx of long-term migrants that threatens Tibetans' cultural integrity.