Qinghai-Tibet Railway Set To Begin Trial Operations

DAMXUNG COUNTY, CHINA - JUNE 30: (CHINA OUT) A horse pastures near the Namtso Lake on June 30, 2006 in Damxung County of Tibet Autonomous Region, China. The Qinghai-Tibet railway will begin trial operations on July 1 and first trains are set to run on the new railway. The 1,956-kilometer-long (1,215 miles) Qinghai-Tibet railway, linking Xining, capital of Qinghai Province, with Lhasa, capital of Tibet Autonomous Region, is the world's highest and longest plateau railroad and also the first railway connecting Tibet with other parts of China, according to state media. The launching of Qinghai-Tibet railway is expected to bring a series of impacts, including promoting economy development, alleviating road transportation pressure, and its environment influence is also concerned. (Photo by China Photos/Getty Images)