Plans to build a railway into Tibet would fulfil the dreams of Mao Zedong, who twice ordered a construction project to begin. In 1956, progress was aborted before the Great Famine in which 30 million are believed to have died. In 1974, the ambitious project was scuttled amid the chaos of the Cultural Revolution. But Premier Zhu Rongji, in announcing the State Council's approval of the railway on Thursday, believes things will be different. 'After more than 20 years of reform and opening up, the overall strength of China has been greatly increased and we have the economic power to build the line,' he said. 'After many years of scientific research and engineering experiments, we have feasible proposals to solve the technical problems of building at such a high altitude.' The route will cover 1,118km - from Golmud in Qinghai province over the mountains to Lhasa - running close to an existing road between the two cities that remains the only all-year link between Tibet and the rest of China. The project, which is expected to become the world's highest railway, will involve about 30km of tunnels, allowing a maximum speed of 100km/h, and be able to carry eight million tonnes of cargo a year. Commercial considerations are only of secondary importance in Beijing's decision to build the new line. Above all, the railway will serve political objectives in binding the restive region to the rest of China and crush the independence movement. Mr Zhu's speech to the cabinet left no doubt as to the political dimensions of the project. 'This is a very important strategic decision, which will accelerate the economic development of Tibet, encourage economic and cultural ties between Tibet and the rest of China and strengthen the unity of the races,' Mr Zhu said. The economic argument for the line is weak. Costing 19.42 billion yuan (HK$18.3 billion) for a construction period of five to seven years, the cost is astronomic. Experts believe the costs will rise and the project will take longer to complete, as the Ministry of Railways admits it faces a hard battle in working in such a hostile environment. Of the route, 600km will run over permafrost and 960km of track will be laid 4,000 metres above sea level. Tibet is by far the poorest region of China. However, it is blessed with rich resources such as oil, copper, iron ore, salt and timber. Additionally its tourist potential has yet to be fully tapped. The line will greatly help to exploit these resources, but the rate of return will in no way cover construction cost, given the poor infrastructure of the region, especially its road network. In its analysis, the China Business Times put economics as the fourth reason for construction: 'Tibet has a special meaning for China in terms of political stability, unity of the races, stability of national defence and economic development. From this point of view, we must build the line and as fast as possible. The railway has great political, defence and social benefits.' RAIL11GFN
