Qinghai-Tibet Railway effective in boosting economic development

　　BEIJING, June 30 (Xinhuanet) -- July 1 marks the third anniversary of the operation of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway.

　　To date, the railway has delivered 8.3 million passengers and 62.21 million tons of cargo, and set a record speed of 100 km/h in permafrost regions.

　　File photo shows a train passing the permafrost region near Mt. Kunlun. (Xinhua Photo)

　　Statistics show that in 2007 and 2008, the GDP of Tibet Autonomous Region increased by 14 percent and ten percent, respectively, over the last year. The growth has much to do with the Qinghai-Tibet Railway.

　　The low transportation costs have brought more profit to enterprises alongside the railway. The railway transportation cost is 0.12 yuan RMB per tonne-km, 0.27 yuan RMB lower than road transportation cost. The transportation of cargo from Xining to Lhasa will thus save 500 yuan RMB per tonne.

　　The decrease in transportation costs makes the products from Qinghai and Tibet more competitive. As a result, a number of Tibet's farm products such as yak milk as well as mineral water and beer have entered the markets of inland areas.

　　In addition, the low transportation cost makes daily necessities and durable goods in Tibet much cheaper, thus saving money for the customer and improving people's living standards.