Technology takes railway to new level
By Zhao Huanxin (China Daily)
Updated: 2006-06-26 08:35 The ministry is determined to prove that the new line is "harmonious with the
ecology." For one thing, no waste will be discharged along the road from the
trains, according to Sun.
Lakes, plants and desertification along the
route will be monitored, as will animal populations, he said.
Asked about
the hazard of natural disasters such as earthquakes, which are frequent on the
plateau, Sun said the route had been designed to avoid regions with active
seismic activity.
In the vulnerable regions that the track has to pass
through, constructors used rail beds rather than tunnels and bridges, and
retrofitted structures to minimize the effects of any possible tremors, he
said.
Sun said that from February, the Qinghai-Tibet Railway Corp has
been deploying staff along the new route. The company has employed 450 people
for station and train services.
An additional 1,000 work on
telecommunications and power supply on the railway, he said.
"All the
workers have undergone medical check-ups to make sure they can react and adapt
to high altitude conditions and effective measures have been taken to improve
working and living conditions on the plateau," said
Sun.
Monument
Sun, 65, who has directed the construction of a
dozen railways since 1962, said the Qinghai-Tibet Railway was the one that
impressed him most.
He said he was proud no workers died of altitude
sickness during construction, a testimony to the ministry's precaution
measures.
Sun revealed that the ministry is considering building a
commemorative structure on the Tanggula Mountain Pass, bearing the inscription:
"Altitude 5,072, the world's highest railway."
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