By Nirmal P. Acharya

Recently, China announced the establishment of the Xinjiang-Tibet Railway Group Corporation. This marks the official launch of the Xinjiang-Tibet Railway project.

The Xinjiang-Tibet Railway (also known as the Hotan-Shigatse Railway) is a trunk railway of extremely high strategic significance and engineering challenges that China is planning and promoting. It aims to connect the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and the Tibet Autonomous Region, further improve the layout of the national railway network, and, in particular, strengthen transportation links in the western border areas. This railway runs close to the China-Nepal border, thus warranting attention from Nepal. The following is an overview of its planning:

Core Goals and Positioning

- National Strategic Corridor: It forms an important regional connection line (western border corridor) in the national "Eight Vertical and Eight Horizontal" high-speed railway network and serves as the most direct railway link between the two autonomous regions of Xinjiang and Tibet.

- Improving Network Structure: It fills the railway gap between southwestern Xinjiang and the Ngari and Shigatse regions of Tibet, becoming the third major railway artery into Tibet following the Qinghai-Tibet Railway and the Sichuan-Tibet Railway.

- Promoting Regional Development: It will significantly improve transportation conditions in the Hotan area of southern Xinjiang and the Ngari area of Tibet, facilitating resource development, economic growth, people's livelihood improvement, and ethnic unity along the route.

- Consolidating Border Security: It will enhance the capacity of national defense transportation support and improve the efficiency of strategic projection and material supply in border areas.

Planned Route Alignment (Core Section)

- Starting Point: Hotan City in Xinjiang (connected to the already operational Kashi-Hotan Railway and Hotan-Ruoqiang Railway, enabling access to the southern Xinjiang railway loop).

- Route:

- Hetian Prefecture, Xinjiang (including Pishan County, Moyu County, etc.).

- Crossing the Karakoram Mountains: This is the most difficult and challenging part of the route, requiring traversal of high-altitude areas with extremely complex geology.

- Entering Ngari Prefecture of Tibet: Passing through Rutog County and Gar County (Shiquanhe Town, the seat of the Ngari Prefectural Administrative Office).

- Continuing eastward, it may pass through Ge'gyai County and Coqên County.

- End Point: Shigatse City in Tibet (connected to the Lhasa-Shigatse Railway and Qinghai-Tibet Railway, further integrating into the national railway network).

Key Features and Challenges

1. World-Class Engineering Difficulties:

- Ultra-High Altitude: Most of the route is located above 4,000 meters above sea level, with the highest point possibly exceeding 5,000 meters (requiring crossing multiple mountain passes above 5,000 meters), posing enormous challenges to construction and operation.

- Extremely Complex Geology: Traversing the Karakoram Mountains, Gangdise Mountains, etc., it faces risks of severe geological disasters such as high-intensity seismic zones, active fault zones, high ground stress, permafrost (especially high-temperature and high-ice-content permafrost), moraines, collapses, landslides, and mudslides.

- Harsh Climate: Extreme cold, oxygen deficiency, strong winds, intense ultraviolet radiation, and huge annual and daily temperature differences.

- Fragile Ecology: The route passes through multiple national nature reserves and ecologically sensitive areas (such as the Qiangtang Plateau), imposing extremely high requirements on environmental protection.

- Extra-Long Tunnels and Bridges: To overcome huge elevation differences and complex terrain, a large number of extra-long tunnels (possibly including the world's highest-altitude railway tunnel) and viaducts need to be constructed.

2. Design Standards (Expected):

- Railway Class: National Class I Railway.

- Design Speed: Expected to be 120-160 km/h (given the extreme environment, it may mainly operate at 120 km/h). It is not a high-speed railway (G-class) but a general-speed railway for both passenger and freight transport.

- Traction Type: Mainly diesel (initially), with reserved conditions for electrification (high-altitude electrification technology, long tunnel power supply, and maintenance are all challenges).

- Track Type: Ballasted track (requiring special treatment in permafrost areas) or ballastless track (in some complex sections).

Construction Progress and Stages

The Xinjiang-Tibet Railway is being planned and constructed in sections and phases:

1. Western Section (within Xinjiang):

- Ge'ermu-Korla Railway: Already completed and operational, it is an important part of the northern corridor of the Xinjiang-Tibet Railway.

- Kashi-Hotan Railway: Already completed and operational.

- Hotan-Ruoqiang Railway: Already completed and operational, forming a railway loop around the Tarim Basin together with the Ge'ermu-Korla Railway and the southern Xinjiang railway.

- Hotan-Kangxiwa/Jieshandaban Section (Xinjiang Section): In the preliminary research stage (pre-feasibility study and in-depth feasibility study), it is a key control engineering section for crossing the Kunlun Mountains into Tibet, with the highest difficulty.

2. Eastern Section (within Tibet):

- Lhasa-Shigatse Railway: Already completed and operational.

- Shigatse-Pagri Co Section (Tibet Section): In the preliminary research stage (pre-feasibility study and in-depth feasibility study).

- Pagri Co-Ngari (Shiquanhe) Section: In the preliminary research stage.

- Ngari (Shiquanhe)-Jieshandaban Section (Tibet Section): In the preliminary research stage, connecting with the Xinjiang section, it is also a high-difficulty section.

3. Core Control Section (Crossing the Karakoram):

- Xinjiang Hotan to Tibet Ngari (Shiquanhe) Section: This is the most difficult, critical, and yet-to-start section of the entire Xinjiang-Tibet Railway, requiring overcoming all the aforementioned world-class engineering challenges. It is currently in the stage of in-depth preliminary survey, feasibility study, and key technological research (such as construction and operation technologies for ultra-high-altitude tunnels, railway route selection and disaster prevention technologies under extreme geological conditions, and railway construction technologies in alpine permafrost areas).

Re-emphasis on Strategic Significance

- Opening up the Major Xinjiang-Tibet Corridor: Realizing a direct railway connection between Xinjiang and Tibet for the first time, shortening the time and space distance between the two regions.

- Driving Ngari's Development: Completely changing the history of Ngari Prefecture without railways, bringing development opportunities to "the roof of the roof of the world".

- Strengthening Southern Xinjiang Hub: Enhancing Hotan's status as an important transportation hub in southern Xinjiang.

- Promoting Tourism and Exchanges: Connecting the Silk Road culture of Xinjiang with the snow-capped plateau culture of Tibet, facilitating tourism and cultural exchanges.

- National Security Barrier: Enhancing the transportation support capacity and strategic depth of western border areas.

Summary

The Xinjiang-Tibet Railway (Hotan-Shigatse Railway) is a trunk railway in China's planning with great strategic significance and unprecedented engineering difficulties worldwide. Currently, the connecting lines at both ends (such as the Hotan-Ruoqiang Railway and the Lhasa-Shigatse Railway) have been completed, but the core and most difficult section crossing the Karakoram Mountains (Hotan to Ngari Section) is still in the stage of in-depth preliminary research and key technological research and has not yet officially started construction. Once completed, this railway will become another miracle in the history of human railway construction, with immeasurable value for improving the national railway network, promoting border development, and consolidating national defense. Its final route, technical standards, and construction schedule will be gradually clarified as preliminary work deepens, and it will need to overcome huge environmental and technical challenges.