The Golmud-Lhasa section of the Qinghai-Tibet railway will start unmanned test runs from May 1 in preparation for its trial operation on July 1.

Sources from China's Ministry of Railways said Thursday that the country will complete the construction of a number of key railway projects with an investment of 34 billion yuan (US$4 billion) in the second quarter this year, including the opening of the Qinghai-Tibet railway.

Built on the "Roof of the World " and zigzagging across 5,000-meter-high mountain ranges and a 550-km-long frozen belt, the Qinghai-Tibet railway is the first railway in Tibet, aiming at building a closer tie between the plateau with other parts of China.

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