China begins extending rail to Nepal boundary

China has started work to extend the Qinghai-Tibet railway from Lhasa towards the Nepal border. According to Chinese media, the 253-kilometer long railway project is set to link the Tibetan capital of Lhasa to Xigaze within a period of four years. Xigaze city is located to the southwest of Lhasa, which lies at the foot of Mount Everest, and borders Nepal. A railway project that will link Lhasa to the eastern Tibet city of Nyingchi and another route to Nepal border are currently in the planning phase. (September 27, 2010)