Advanced Fuxing high-speed trains are delivering faster and more comfortable journeys on the Lhasa-Nyingchi Railway which, in its five years of operation, has transformed transportation in southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region.
Spanning 435 kilometers, the railway, which officially entered service on June 25, 2021, was designed for trains to run at speeds of up to 160 kilometers per hour.
At the Lhasa maintenance center, run by the China Railway Qinghai-Xizang Group, trains are maintained before and after their daily runs. The facility houses a variety of locomotives, from traditional diesel engines to electric models, and now the new Fuxing plateau dual-power EMUs.
"The trains parked here are plateau dual-power EMUs specially designed for Xizang. They can operate on diesel power in areas without electricity and switch to electric power where available. It's like having two hearts," said Wang Yongming, director of the Technical Equipment Office at the Lhasa Depot.
Chen Yonggang, a 44-year-old train driver with 21 years of experience, is one of the 14 qualified drivers operating these dual-power Fuxing trains. He says he has been impressed by the facilities on the new trains, particularly the special equipment that helps drivers cope with the high-altitude environment.
"From diesel locomotives to the Fuxing, trains are getting faster and faster. Xizang used to have no electrified railways, but now we do. Working conditions have also improved greatly. The driver's cab is almost noise-free. The air conditioning is kept at a constant temperature, and there is both diffused oxygen supply and the option to breathe oxygen through an oxygen tube," said Chen.
The railway links Lhasa, Shannan and Nyingchi, the three core cities in Xizang's "three-hour economic circle," with the fastest journey from Lhasa to Nyingchi taking just 3 hours and 49 minutes.
From Lhasa, passengers can reach Shannan in about one hour. Shannan Station now handles an average of 900 passenger trips per day, with the daily number rising to over 2,500 on holidays.
"It takes just one hour and six minutes to reach Lhasa, and the ticket costs only 37 yuan. It's cheap, stable, and very safe. This area used to be farmland. Now high-rise buildings have sprung up, along with commercial streets full of restaurants and shops," said Luobu Yangzong, a duty officer at Shannan Railway Station.
Since it opened, the Lhasa-Nyingchi Railway has transported more than 2 million tons of cargo and over 6.25 million passengers.
It has broken the long-standing transportation bottleneck in southeastern Xizang and is playing a vital role in promoting high-quality economic and social development in the region.
Over the past five years, the average annual GDP growth rates of Nyingchi and Shannan have remained above 8 percent and 5.8 percent, respectively, both exceeding the national average.
Fuxing trains transform travel on Xizang's Lhasa-Nyingchi Railway
