A senior expert with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences says that China's landmark project, the Qinghai-Tibet Railway, will have a long-term impact on the local logistics industry.

Wei Houkai, says the operation of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway two years from now will help boost goods exchanges between the secluded Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and elsewhere in China.

Roads are currently the major way to transport goods in China's Tibet, but Wei Houkai predicts the proportion of road transport will fall when the railway comes into operation.

China began building the Qinghai-Tibet railway in 2001 and it's scheduled to go into service in 2007.

(CRI February 22, 2005)