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Tickets on sale as world's highest railroad opens new Tibet track

Some sections of the Qinghai-Tibet tower more than five kilometers above the sea level

BEIJING, August 15. /ITAR-TASS/. A new connection has been made, adding 253 kilometers to the world's highest railway line, China's news agency Xinhua said on Friday.

It's an extention to the Qinghai-Tibet route in south-west China's autonomous Tibet region, where some sections tower more than five kilometers above the sea level.

The line links regional capital Lhasa to Xigaze, the region's second-largest city. It cuts travel time from four hours to two, and is Tibet's second railroad.

Tickets for the new line went on sale on Friday for the first passenger train due to depart from Lhasa at 9am local time on Saturday.

Construction of the railway started in 2010 with an investment of 13.28 billion yuan ($2.16 billion), Xinhua said. The first line of the Qinghai-Tibet track was opened in 2006 at a cost of $3.7 billion.

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