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Lhasa railway station, a landmark building on the Qinghai-Tibet railway line, was completed on Thursday.
The station is the terminal of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway and is expected to be the largest transportation center of the line.
Located at Liuwu Township in Doilungdeqen County, the station is about 30 kilometers from the urban center of Lhasa at an elevation of 3,600 meters above the sea level.
The railway station showcases both the modern and traditional Tibetan architectural styles, and it will provide as many conveniences as possible to help passengers overcome altitude sickness, said Sun Yongfu, vice minister of Railways.
Designers reduced the distances for passengers to walk in and out of the station as much as possible and they also plan to build more elevators to help passengers avoid fatigue or sickness caused by the high altitude and thin oxygen.
Solar energy will be introduced in the station to reduce pollution, since the city enjoys more sunshine than most places in the world.
The Qinghai-Tibet railway extends 1,142 kilometers on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, or the "roof of the world", linking Gelmud of Qinghai with Lhasa, Tibet's regional capital at an average altitude of 4,500 meters.
The central government of China decided to build the railway in 2001, allocating 26.2 billion yuan (US$3.1 billion) for the project. The line is scheduled to reach Lhasa this year and start trial operation in the second half of 2006.
(Xinhua News Agency August 26, 2005)
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