As construction on the world"s highest and toughest railway is well underway and getting closer to Lhasa, at its southern end, people inhabiting "the roof of the world" are greatly looking forward to its coming. And the phrase "Qinghai-Tibet Railway" is frequently spoken by local Tibetans.
"At dusk, I stand on the high hill, waiting for the railway to be built into my hometown. Dragons clamber over mountains, bringing blessings to the plateau. That is a magic heavenly road, taking us into the paradise on earth..."
This is a very popular song recently in Tibet, called "The Heavenly Road", praising the Qinghai-Tibet Railway that is hoped will benefit Tibetans and the region. The song implies the good wishes and great expectations the 2.6 million Tibetan people put on the railway" Baima Zholma, a 58-year-old granny, has a dream: to make a pilgrimage to Lhasa by train when the railway becomes operational. The granny is a Tibetan herdswoman living in the Danggula Mountain area, in Golmud in Qinghai province, and the railway will pass her village.
The 1,118-km Qinghai-Tibet railway will extend from Golmud City in Qinghai province in northwest China to Lhasa in Tibet. It will be the longest railway of the highest elevation in the world. More than 960 kilometers, or over four-fifths of the railway, will be built at an altitude of more than 4,000 meters, and over half of it will be laid on frozen earth.
The construction on the railway began in June, 2001 and it is expected to be finished in 2006.
