like.no.other

like.no.other always reminds SONY right ?

I am not writing about the Electronic Giant here. I am referring to another 'like.no.other' here - Qinghai–Tibet railway, which connects main land China to the Roof of the World, Tibet. China has again shown to the world that it can build Engineering Marvels. The Great Wall of China being the first one, and Qinghai–Tibet railway is the second one. This Railway has brought the Tibetian capital Lhasa closer to main land China.


The fact which makes 'Qinghai–Tibet railway' an Engineering Wonder is not because it connects Tibet to Beijing, but the place it has been built. This Railway has been built under extreme conditions where a human being surviving itself is difficult. Men and machine have worked at -40 degrees to consturct this Wonder. Adding to this the high altitude sickness, because of 50% less oxygen present in the air and the harsh UV rays of Sun. One cannot just believe how could the Chinese workers survive in such extreme condition and build a mammoth Railway ?? Simple Unbelievable !!!


China used lot of new methods indigenously developed to build this Railway. New concrete mixing procedures such as mixing the cement with hot water and hot sand to prevent the concrete from settling suddenly due to extreme low temperatures. New methods of digging tunnels have been used. Another problem is of freezing upper layer of soil, which increases its level in winter due to water inside the soil getting freezed and decreses during summer. This has given rise to land bridges which have been built for kilometres to overcome this problem. The pillars of these bridges have been pushed to the deep layer of the soil. China has even invented techniques to maintain the temperature of the rails so that they do not contract in winter and expand in summer. The Tibetian region is known for its high sesmic activity because of the collision of Indian and Eurasian plate at the Himalayas. There are many spots where building tall bridges have been avoided by laying the tracks on the ground, so that the tracks can be quicky repaired.

Those are just a few of the unique methods used to overcome the difficulties posed by Nature. This Railway took 40 years to plan and was built in under extreme deadlines in 5 years. This deadline has compelled the Chinese to think of alternate, fast building procedures.


Even the Railway coach have been built with lot of uniqueness into it. Oxygen supply for every passenger, Doctors and Nurses in every coach to check the health of passengers, Anti-UV glasses for the Windows to protect from Sun's UV rays.


Isn't 'Qinghai–Tibet railway' an Engineering Marvel ? Isn't this 'like.no.other' ? I salute China for making such an unthinkable one a reality !!! It is my dream to travel in 'Qinghai–Tibet railway'. Read More

If China can connect Lhasa to Beijing though a railway passing through extreme terrain of the world, then why cannot India take such a step to connect every nook and corner of the country ?? Even converting a Metre Gauge track to Broad Gauge in Western Ghats is being going on for past 13 years and it is still not completed!!!

With Corruption everywhere, lazy politicians, no determination to take the country forward, one can just dream that India too can build such massive projects !!!! We keep hearing that India and China are going to World's biggest economies !!! It is very true with China and certianly not with India. India is either stuck wherever it is or just going back !!