Tibetan Autonomous Region officials said over the weekend that the 33-billion-yuan (US$4.2 billion) railway linking it to neighboring Qinghai Province has helped develop the local economy.

Tibet's economy this year grew from trade and consumption contributions, instead of relying solely on investments, Hao Peng, Vice Chairman of the local government, told reporters in Lhasa on Saturday. Tibet's economy grew 14.7 percent (14 billion yuan or US$1.8 billion) in the first half of this year. Consumption accounted for 37 percent of total gross domestic product, he stated.

Developing Tibet is part of the national government's 5.77 trillion yuan West China investment plan to help boost the country's poorest regions, according to the National Bureau of Statistics. The Qinghai-to-Tibet railway spans 1,956 kilometers and began operating on July 1 last year.

"It's a dream come true to have the railway link built," said Nima Ciren, Vice Chairman of the autonomous region. He attended the same briefing. "We've not seen any negative side-effects, ecologically or economically, arising from the Qinghai-Tibet railway, only benefits."

Freight such as sundries, construction materials and beer transported to and from Lhasa via the Qinghai-Tibet railway link totals about 500 metric tons a day, Chen Zhanying, station master at the Lhasa Cargo Station in the western part of the capital city, reported on Saturday. The link brings four passenger trains a day to Lhasa, each carrying about 700 people.

"I get a greater variety of provisions, not just instant noodles and bottled drinks, because the trains carry more items than the trucks," said Drolkar, a provision shop owner at Caibalang village in the outskirts of Lhasa who goes by one name. "The produce is fresher, cheaper too, thus cutting my costs."

Tibet economic planners have vowed to protect and preserve Tibet’s glaciers, wetlands and grasslands, giving them priority over developing tourism and manufacturing.

(China Daily July 30, 2007)