China has started work on a railway line that will connect Tibet’s second largest city, Shigatse, to the capital, Lhasa. Railway Minister Liu Zhijun said the 253-kilometer railway line "will promote tourism and the rational use of natural resources."
China will invest RMB13.3 billion (US$1.98 billion) to build the Shigatse-Lhasa railway line, which will be the first extension of the Qinghai-Tibet railway that opened in 2006.
Chinese state media confirmed Chinese geologists have found deposits of copper, iron, lead and zinc ore along the Qinghai-Tibet railroad route and recovery of these deposits will be facilitated by the railway.
Beijing is also planning to double its railway links in Tibet from 2013.
Phayul.com reports that the new section of the railway to link Shigatse, expected to be open to traffic after four years, was designed to transport 8.3 million tons of freight annually.