Lijiang- Shangri-La High-Speed Railway

The Yunnan-Tibet Railway(滇藏铁路) is one of China’s five routes head to Tibet. It is an important part of the Tibet railway network. Passengers can get to Tibet in any time or any season conveniently. In addition, the completion of this railway has greatly shortened the distance between Tibet and South China, Central China and East China, further stimulating the rapid development of Tibet's economy.  

The total length from Lijiang to Shangri-La is about 139.7 kilometers. This section of the railway connects Lijiang Old Town, Lashihai, Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, Tiger Leaping Gorge, Haba Snow Mountain, Shangri-La and other famous scenic spots. So, this is also a very beautiful route. Passengers can enjoy many different vies during the trip. After this line is completed and opened to traffic, the travel time from Kunming to Shangri-La will be greatly reduced. It only takes one and a half hours from Lijiang to Shangri-La, and about 5 hours from Kunming to Shangri-La, which greatly shortens the travel time.

The Newly Built Train Stations

The entire Lijiang - Shangri-La Railway has four stopover stations: Lijiang Railway Station, Lashihai Railway Station (拉市海站), Xiaozhongdian Railway Station (小中甸站) and Shangri-La Railway Station. Except for Lijiang Station, the other three are all newly built.

Shangri-La Railway Station

Shangri-La Railway Station is located in Shangri-La City, Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province, China. It’s the It is theterminal station of Lijiang - Shangri-La Railway. Shangri-La Station has 2 platforms and 4 lines. Until August 2020, the construction area of Shangri-La Station is 9958.6 square meters.

Shangri-La Station has two floors above ground and one underground floor in part. The waiting hall is in the middle, the ticket hall, equipment buildings are on the left, and the exit hall and travel service and luggage collection hall are on the right. After completion, it will connect the tourist resorts of Dali, Lijiang and Shangri-La in Yunnan, and will effectively promote tourism and economic and social development along the route.

Difficulties for Building Lijiang- Shangri-La Railway

In the Lijiang - Shangri-La section of the Yunnan-Tibet Railway with a total length of 139.7 kilometers, 34 new bridges and 20 tunnels have been built along the entire line. Since the start of construction in 2014, tens of thousands of builders have overcome difficulties, independently researched craftsmanship and construction methods without any experience, but make a number of a number of construction records.

During the construction process of this 14.7-kilometer-long tunnel that passes through the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, disasters such as mud bursts and water gushing occurred 238 times. At the same time, under the influence of geological tectonic movements, excavated tunnel chambers often shift or even collapse, and even the supporting steel arches are distorted or even broken.

The construction of the Haba Snow Mountain Tunnel, which is across the Jinsha River from the Yulong Snow Mountain Tunnel, encountered even more difficulties. The biggest challenge is also the influence of geological tectonic movements. According to reports, railway, design and construction units have organized and convened 8 expert seminars, and 29 well-known experts from 23 units have discussed and dynamically adjusted disposal plans. On July 8 this year, the Haba Snow Mountain Tunnel was finally completed. After the railway was opened, it only took three minutes for the train to pass through. However, the construction workers have been working here for 9 years.

Anyway, Lijiang -Shangri-La section is an amazing project of the Yunnan-Tibet Railway line. We all look forward to the day when it will be completed and opened to traffic in 2023!

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Further reading:
Kunming to Dali: Bullet Trains, Coaches, and Airplanes
High Speed Trains between Kunming and Lijiang
Lijiang Railway Station
Baggage Rules of China Rail