The second service of a new train and truck freight route that links Haidong in Qinghai province, Shigatse in the Tibet autonomous region, and Kathmandu, capital of Nepal, will leave Haidong soon, according to China Railway Qinghai-Tibet Group.

 

With a length of about 2,800 kilometers, the new corridor uses trains to ship goods from Haidong to Shigatse. Trucks are then used to ship them to the land ports of Gyirong and Zhangmu in Tibet and on to Kathmandu.

 

Yao Jianghong, an official with China Railway Qinghai-Tibet Group, said: "The cargo mainly includes daily necessities, medical materials and agricultural products. Thirty rail cars were loaded with more than 1,000 metric tons of cargo valued at approximately 1.8 million yuan ($282,000) for the first trip, which took six days."

By PALDEN NYIMA in Lhasa