President expects railway to prosper west
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2006-07-03 10:02
Chinese President Hu Jintao has urged local officials to get hold of the
opportunities brought by the Qinghai-Tibet Railway to bolster the prosperity and
ethnic unity in the country's west areas.
The railway stretches 1,956 km
from Xining, provincial capital of Qinghai, to Lhasa, capital of Tibet
Autonomous Region. It went into operation on Saturday.
Right after the
celebration marking the launching of the railway, the president got on a train
Saturday noon to inspect the construction and operation of the railway, praising
the contribution of workers in the past years to construct the highest rail in
the world.
Some 960 km of the railway's tracks are located 4,000 meters
above sea level and the highest point is 5,072 meters. Actually, a section of
814 km from Xining to Golmud began operation in 1984 and the Golmud-Lhasa
section started construction on June 29, 2001.
Hu asked local officials
to make full use of resources to accelerate economic and social development and
improve the people's living standard. In the meantime, the environment should be
protected well for the benefit of future generations.
At a railway
station, Hu visited the control rooms for the operation of trains and tracks,
and asked about the living and working conditions of railway staff in the
plateau areas, wishing them good health and calling on them to contribute more
to the country's railway contribution.
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