China’s big railway project along LAC: Xinjiang-Tibet rail line construction to begin soon

Earlier this month, China launched state-owned Xinjiang–Tibet Railway Company, tasked with overseeing the construction and operation of the line connecting Hotan in Xinjiang to Lhasa in Tibet.

By: Express Web Desk
August 11, 2025 05:58 PM IST

The Xinjiang–Tibet railway line will have an average elevation of over 4,500 metres. (Reuters Photo/File)

Xinjiang-Tibet Railway Line: Beijing is all set to begin construction of the Xinjiang–Tibet railway project, located close to the Ladakh border. Earlier this month, China launched state-owned Xinjiang–Tibet Railway Company, tasked with overseeing the construction and operation of the line connecting Hotan in Xinjiang to Lhasa in Tibet.

According to the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the company had been formally registered with a capital of $13.2 billion and is fully owned by the China State Railway Group.

Tibet-Xinjiang Railway Line

According to the report, the proposed route will connect the existing Lhasa-Shigatse line with a new one from Hotan to Shigatse. This will form around 2,000-km-long strategic artery linking northwestern and southwestern China.

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Tibet-Xinjiang Railway Line Along LAC

The report further added that part of the Xinjiang–Tibet rail route will also run near the Line of Actual Control (LAC), the border between India and China.

Construction of Tibet-Xinjiang Rail Line

The Xinjiang–Tibet railway line will have an average elevation of over 4,500 metres. It will pass through Kunlun, Karakoram, Kailash and Himalayan mountain ranges, going through glaciers, frozen rivers and permafrost, reports SCMP. Tibet’s new line project is one of the four railway lines planned to connect it with other parts of the country.

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History of Xinjiang-Tibet Railway Line

SCMP reports that the planning for Xinjiang-Tibet rail line project dates back to 2008, when it was included in the revised “Medium and Long-Term Railway Network Plan.” In April, officials from the Ministry of Transport stated that the construction of Xinjiang–Tibet rail line project was expected to get underway this year.

China Dam on Brahmaputra River

On August 8, in a written statement in Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for External Affairs, Kirti Vardhan Singh said that India has taken note of reports about China commencing the construction of a mega dam project on the lower reaches of the Yarlung Tsangpo River (upper reaches of Brahmaputra) in Tibet.

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