World's Highest Railroad by Mei Fang

On July 1st the Qing Zang railroad began service from Golmud to Lhasa. People in both cities celebrated the opening. They were very excited. This is the highest above sea level railroad in the world.

For years people dreamed of building a transportation link between the two cities. Now it is real. This railroad is 3,500 meters above sea level and 1,124 kilometers long. The scientists, engineers and workers that built this railroad encountered and overcame many problems.

For example, for 550 kilometers the railroad bed is built on frozen earth called permafrost. To protect the permafrost they had to build a special bed that absorbed heat in the winter and radiated heat in the summer.

In another area they built viaduct bridges to allow the antelope to safely cross from one side of the tracks to the other.

On July 1^st , on television, I watched the first train leave Golmud . There was a celebration. People were singing and dancing. They were very happy.

I hope my classmates and teacher have the opportunity to travel across Xi Zang on this train.

Mei Fang