Tibet train crosses highest pass, moves to Lhasa

Tangula Pass (China), Jul 3: China's inaugural train from Beijing to Tibet passed its highest point today as passengers sped towards Lhasa amid extra-tight security that underlined the sensitivity of the project.

As the train climbed, staff showed passengers how to attach oxygen masks and announcements warned passengers to avoid sudden movements that could trigger altitude sickness, even in the pressurised cabins.

The train left Beijing on Saturday evening and was due to arrive in Lhasa today night after a 4,000-km journey, capping three days of official propaganda about the rail link binding isolated Tibet to the rest of China.

Just after midday, the train rumbled towards the Tangula Pass which, at 5,072 metres above sea level, is the peak of the world's highest railway running across the barren Tibetan plateau.

The Tibetan capital, Lhasa, which leaves many visitors gasping for breath, lies at 3,650 metres.

President Hu Jintao called the railway a ''miracle'' of railway engineering when he officially opened the new line, the China Daily reported today.

But the railway has drawn criticism from advocates of Tibetan autonomy who say the trains will bring an influx of tourists and long-term migrants who threaten Tibet's cultural integrity.

China's Communist army occupied the mountain region in 1950. Nine years later, Tibet's spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, fled to India after a failed uprising.

Ever since, Beijing has maintained tight control of Tibet, fearful that the restive region will challenge Chinese control.

Troops from China's armed militia stood on guard every 500 metres on both sides of the track, as the train sped past snow-capped mountains, barren plains and clusters of yaks and Tibetan antelopes.

Convoys of military trucks and other security vehicles also watched the train pass.

REUTERS

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