Golmud

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  Tangshan (guest)

  Golmud (格尔木), with population of 300 thousands (2011) and land area 120,000 square kilometers, is a very important transportation pivot and strategically city on the western China. The distances are ~1000 km to Lanzhou (甘肃兰州east), ~1100 km to Lhasa, Tibet (西藏拉萨 south), 2000 km to Kashgar (新疆喀什 west), and 700 km to Dunhuang and Liuyuan (甘肃敦煌, 柳园 north). Paved highways are constructed on all four directions. Railway of Qing-zhang line (青藏铁路, Xining西宁to Lhasa, 1956 km), which is called skyway, has being operated since the year of 2006. Dun-ge line (敦格铁路Dunhuang to Golmud, 617 km) will be completed in the February 2016. The railway of Ge-ku line (格库铁路Golmud to Kulra格尔木-库尔勒, 1240 km) has being constructed since the January 2015 and will be completed in middle of 2019. That project will cost about three billion US dollars and with a design speed of 160 km/hr and transportation capability 26 million ton per year. After Ge-ku line, other two lines, Cheng-ge line (成格铁路, 成都-格尔木, Chengdu to Kulra, 1270km) and Ka-ruo line (喀什-若羌, Kashgar to Ruoqiang, 1200 km), will be under constructed. Chengge line is supposed completed on the year of 2020, but it seems will be postponed a cope of years. Ruoqiang (若羌, also named as Charkhlik) is located on the middle of Ge-ku line, and is only about 250 km to connect Haluo line (哈罗铁路, 哈密-罗布泊, Hami – Lop Nur, 375 km, operated since November 2012). No dead line for Karuo railroad so far, but the section from Kashger to Hetian (喀什-和田, 487 km, operated since the year of 2012) has been finished. The two important cities of Hami and Kashgar (哈密-喀什) will be connected by a new railway line, Hetian-Ruoqiang-Lop Nor (和田-若羌, 750 km, 若羌-罗布泊, 250 km) , path through the east and south edges of Tarim basin (塔里木盆地). Because of the strong engineering capability and sufficient financial funding, these railroads can be completed within 10 years if Chinese government willing. Therefore, a complicated, fast, high efficient railway network will be formed on the west part of China before the year of 2025. Golmud is the most important hub of the transportation network. On the other hand, Golmud is a strategical air force base, due to its geography location, same as Wichita in USA.

  9 years ago | reply | hide comment