LHASA, Dec. 8 (Xinhua) --- A cargo train left Guangzhou, the capital city of southeast China's Guangdong province, for Lhasa, the capital of Tibet Autonomous Region, on December 5, and to further travel to destinations in Middle-South Asian regions.
This is the first cargo train connecting Guangdong, Tibet, and Middle-South Asian regions.
Starting from Guangzhou, the line went through Chengdu-Chongqing railway, Qinghai-Tibet railway, Lhasa-Shigatse railway to Gyirong highway crossing the border at Gyirong port, before reaching Katmandu, Nepal.
The train service traveled 5,200 kilometers in five days. The whole route is 6,070 kilometers in length.
The new cargo train carried eight cabinets and 14 boxcars products, including clothes, home furnishing, electronic products, electronic appliances, and valued at 19 million yuan.
The railway line will open up a channel "Guangdong-Tibet-Nepal" for highway-railway multimodal transportation, so as to vigorously promote the economic cooperation between Guangdong province and Tibet Autonomous Region, and accelerate Tibet connecting with South Asia economic circle.
The operation of the cargo train will set up a trade channel with convenience and high efficiency between Guangdong and Tibet, attracting more supporting industries gathering along the Tibet channel, to promote transition and upgrading for industries in Tibet Autonomous Region, Luo Mei, chairman assistant with the People's Government of Tibet Autonomous Region said.
The launch of the line will promote the economic development of Nepal, also strength the exchanges and communication between China and Nepal, a senior official with Consulate General of Federal Democratic Republic of Nepalin Lhasa said. (By Wang Jun, Lin Wei, Edited by Ma Xin, maxin11@xinhua.org)
A single purchase
