China Daily (March 25), citing China's Ministry of Transport, reported that the railway linking Nyingchi and Lhasa in TAR is expected to open by the end of June. The line will eventually connect Sichuan province and Tibet. Wang Yang, Chief Planning Officer in the Ministry of Transport said "Construction of the (Sichuan-Tibet) line will last for more than 10 years due to the complicated geological and climate conditions and fragile ecology." The 1,838-kilometer Sichuan-Tibet railway project has been divided into three parts for construction and operation. The section linking Chengdu and Ya'an in Sichuan opened in December 2018. Construction of the 435-km section linking Nyingchi and Lhasa began in 2015. Work on the middle and most challenging section, connecting Ya'an and Nyingchi, began in November.

(Comment: The Sichuan-Tibet railway is a major transport construction project during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-25).)