The Lhasa-Nyingchi railway carried 106,000 passenger trips with a daily average of 3,500 during its first month of operation, according to a statement sent by China Railway to the Global Times on Monday.
The 435-kilometer rail line connecting Lhasa with the city of Nyingchi in Southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region entered into service on June 25. It is Tibet's first bullet train line, allowing travelers to enjoy remarkable landscapes at high speeds, and the majority of the line is more than 3,000 meters above sea level.
According to the statement, the railway has cut travel times within Tibet. It takes only about3 hours and 29 minutes to travel from Nyingchi to Lhasa via the railway, almost half the time it takes to travel between the two regions by road. Passengers are mostly tourists, students, workers and those visiting family and friends. Tickets are easily available for the new route.
The Qinghai-Tibet Railway Co said that it had increased check-ups and maintenance for Fuxing bullet trains that run on the line. Technicians will conduct comprehensive checks on the trains' service facilities including oxygen machines, seats and semiconductors. In the railway line's first month of operation, 100 percent of the facilities were rated as excellent.
Conductors also provide services like translation, guidance and medical assistance on the Fuxing bullet trains that run along the train line.
The railway serves an area of 226,000 square kilometers, 18.4 percent of Tibet's entire land mass. More than 1.3 million people directly benefit from the latest extension of China's rail network. According to media reports, the railway has a maximum speed of 160 kilometers per hour, slightly slower than some similar lines in China.
