From what I saw, this documentary was made in 2011. TIBETE – train ride …. with the best technology in the world
As I do love to travel and Tibete it’s one the spots I really want to go, when I saw this PowerPoint I had to share it! The Author is Eddy Cheong. Thank you!
From Beijing to Lhasa
Tribute to railway builders
CHALLENGES
Since the founding of the Republic of China by Dr. Sun Yat-sol in 1911, it has been a dream of that country to have a national railway system connecting all its provinces. Tibet became the last province to be linked, as there were major obstacles.
This is the “Mother of thousands of Mountains”. How to build a railway line in these mountains to reach China’s most remote province, Tibet? Like, if about 85% of the railroad will have to stay in the “forbidden zone”, also known as “Zona da Morte” (Death Zone) because of bad weather: air, severe and unpredictable weather, ferocious storms and high UV radiation. Average annual temperature is below zero degrees, reaching negative 45º C; average elevation of the railroad: 4,115 m above sea level; highest point: 5,100 meters.When building the Mountain Tunnel Fenghuo – 4,800 m above sea level – workers had to be equipped with oxygen cylinders. Seventeen oxygen-producing stations were built along the railway line to “feed” the tunnel. 5,180 meters of high mountains to climb, valleys 12 km wide, hundreds of kilometers of ice and mud that could never support trains! How can a tunnel be opened through the rock, in a climate of minus 40 degrees and with serious oxygen difficulty?550 km of ice along the rail route; non-compact ice and damp soil in the Summer – a nightmare for railway engineers.As most cattle and wildlife graze freely, the line was raised in most places.Four areas have been specifically reserved to protect wildlife species in the Tibetan plateau, including the Chiru population.Environmental protection of ecosystems: High investments were made in the project. Routes were selected to prevent the railway from passing through major wildlife habitats. Chiru, whose wool is known as ‘shahtoosh’, or ‘wool queen’, for sale for up to $10,000 each, despite legal protection, is threatened with extinction. Wool is smuggled from Tibet, mainly to Kashmir, where shawls and scarves are made. Although Chiru is protected in China, it is still legal to weave shahtoosh in India. In all trains, toilets, waste water tanks and waste treatment facilities were installed to protect the environment along the route.Beijing West, here begins our storyBeijing West Railway Station is the first stage of our train adventure to Lhasa.Travel companion, Joey, points to the sign that says, “Beijing West to Lhasa “.All trains entering Tibet from China are equipped with trash compactors and vacuum toilets. In this photo, you can see a worker collecting sanitary waste from a train on the Qinghai-Tibet Railway, using vacuum technology installed at the Golmud station.Protection of the environment was an important priority.Joey appreciates the landscapes that take place throughout the trip.Western cuisine available on the menu.The service is excellent. Friendly, it serves fruit juices, snacks and drinks.Passengers do not suffer from high altitude sickness, as the carriages are fully air-conditioned and pressurized, as in airplanes. Oxygen masks are also available in your bedrooms, as well as along the corridors and in the trains’ bathrooms.Beautiful setting and healthy hot meals.Mountain tunnels.The construction of a bridge over the icy soil. This has the least impact on the area, but it is also the most expensive. Qingshuihe Bridge is the longest bridge in the world built on icy ground.Animals graze peacefully, oblivious to the passage of the trainWhenever possible, the railway line is elevated to allow the passage of migratory species and to minimize any adverse impact on the natural environment.Timeless beauty of Lake Namtso.Train rises to an altitude of more than 5,000 meters.The length of the Qingzang railway is 1,956 km. The line includes the Tanggula Pass, at 5,072m above sea level, the highest in the world.Stopping to take a picture with ice as a backdrop.The train passes ice and snow-capped mountains on the way to Lhasa.From the beginning, the design departments were concerned with the migration of antelopes.Wildlife, bears and wild donkeys have already adapted to the presence of the railway line.Yaks grazing peacefully, indifferent to the passing of the train.The enchanting beauty of the blue lake of Yamdrok.The train passes by the Patola Monastery, on the way to the Lhasa Railway Station.With the opening of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway and the new Nyingchi Airport, there was a flood of tourists in Tibet, reaching 4 million last year, up 60 percent.Interior of Lhasa Railway Station.Departure from Lhasa Station.Exterior of Lhasa Railway Station.The Lhasa Station it looks more like a first-class airport terminal. Tibet’s economy has never been self-sufficient to give its people meaningful life. The Central Government of China has invested more than $4 billion to build this rail system – the most expensive in the world.Since the time of Emperor Kublai Khan, Tibet has belonged to China and is its most remote province.The new bridge over the Tsangpo River to the railway station.Hotel reception area – Lhasa.The Lhasa River bridge connects the center of Lhasa to the new train station.
The journey will beginAdmire this wonder of Nature.3 countries separated only by water.Is it not pretty?Here progress.Here Nature.We feel so small.Given such greatness.Here the challenge.The beauty.The power .A different world.
The Internet provides us with the expansion of our knowledge. Look at these images … Photos from a never seen angle …
Nature has ways to show us the greatness in its purity.
