Sichuan-Tibet Railway 川藏铁路

The Sichuan-Tibet Railway is a high-speed railway within China that connects the Sichuan Province to the Tibet Autonomous Region. Running in an east-west direction, it is the second railway into Tibet and one of the main railways in Southwest China. The Sichuan-Tibet Railway starts from Chengdu, Sichuan Province in the east and stretches to Lhasa, Tibet Autonomous Region in the west, covering a total length of approximately 1838 kilometers (1,141 miles) with designed speeds ranging from 160 to 200 kilometers per hour (99 to 124 mph). The construction of the Sichuan-Tibet Railway involves building new lines as well as merging with existing ones, with construction and operation being carried out in phases and sections. The Lalin section and the Chengya section commenced construction in December 2014, and the Yalin section was planned to start construction at the end of 2019.

The Sichuan-Tibet Railway originates in Chengdu City, Sichuan Province, branching off from the existing Chengkun Railway. It passes through Pujiang and Ya’an, crosses Erlang Mountain into Garzê Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, continues through Kangding, Litang, and Baiyu, crosses the Jinsha River into Changdu in the Tibet Autonomous Region, and then proceeds through Jiangda, Changdu, Bangda, and Baxoi into Nyingchi. From Nyingchi, it goes through Bomi into the Shannan region, passing through Sangri, Nêdong, and Gonggar, eventually reaching Lhasa. Within the Chengdu railway hub, the Chengdu to Ya’an section of the Sichuan-Tibet Railway begins with EMU trains from Chengdu West Station to Ya’an Station, passing through the Chengdu-Pujiang Railway, making the latter effectively a branch of the Sichuan-Tibet Railway’s Chengya section. The Lalin section of the Sichuan-Tibet Railway is connected at its eastern end to the planned Dian-Tibet Railway, which provides access to the southwest and central-eastern regions. To the north and west, it connects to the existing Qinghai-Tibet Railway, the under-construction Lhasa-Shigatse Railway, and the planned Shigatse-Yadong and Shigatse-Nyalam railways, which will offer access to the vast northwest regions and the major ports of entry between China and Nepal, India. The Sichuan-Tibet Railway is an essential part of the external transport corridor of the Tibet Autonomous Region and is of great significance for improving the structure of Tibet’s railway network, enhancing the transportation infrastructure along the route, promoting the economic and social development of Tibet, and fostering unity among the Chinese nation.

川藏铁路（Sichuan-Tibet Railway）是中国境内一条连接四川省与西藏自治区的快速铁路，呈东西走向，为中国国内第二条进藏铁路，也是中国西南地区的干线铁路之一。川藏铁路东起四川省成都市、西至西藏自治区拉萨市，线路全长1838千米，设计速度160至200千米/小时。川藏铁路采用兴建新线与合并旧线的方式修筑，分期分段建设运营；拉林段与成雅段于2014年12月开工建设；雅林段计划于2019年底开工建设。 川藏铁路东起四川省成都市，从既有成昆铁路引出，经蒲江、雅安、天全后翻二郎山进入甘孜藏族自治州；经康定、理塘、白玉后跨金沙江，进入西藏自治区昌都；经江达、昌都、邦达、八宿后进入林芝；经波密、林芝进入山南地区；经桑日、乃东、贡嘎后，西至拉萨市。在成都铁路枢纽中，因川藏铁路成都至雅安段动车组列车从成都西站始发至雅安站，行经成蒲铁路，故成蒲铁路实际也成为川藏铁路成雅段的支线部分。川藏铁路拉林段东端连接规划建设中的滇藏铁路，可通往西南及东中部地区，向北、向西连接既有青藏铁路和在建的拉萨～日喀则铁路及规划的日喀则～亚东、日喀则～聂拉木等铁路，可通往西北广大地区及中国与尼泊尔、印度的主要口岸，是西藏自治区对外运输通道的重要组成部分；对于完善西藏铁路网结构、改善沿线交通基础设施条件、促进西藏经济社会发展、增进中华民族团结具有重要意义。