China to Build Xinjiang-Tibet Rail Link 'Near' LAC with India: Report

PTI, BEIJING, AUG 11, 2025 : China is set to build an ambitious rail link connecting Xinjiang province with Tibet, part of which will "run near" the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with India, according to a media report.

Work is expected to begin this year on one of the world’s most ambitious rail projects. The state-owned Xinjiang-Tibet Railway Company (XTRC) will oversee the construction and operations of a rail line linking Hotan in Xinjiang to Lhasa in Tibet, the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post reported. The XTRC has been formally registered with 95 billion yuan (USD 13.2 billion) in capital and is wholly owned by the China State Railway Group.

The project aims to establish a 5,000 km plateau rail framework centered on Lhasa by 2035, according to a research note from Hubei-based Huayuan Securities. "Parts of the route will also run near the China-India Line of Actual Control (LAC), the de facto border between the two countries, giving it defensive importance in a frontier area with less infrastructure than the rest of China," the report added.

China’s mega infrastructure project in the region, the Xinjiang-Tibet highway, also known as the G219 highway, was built through the disputed Aksai Chin area, a major flashpoint during the 1962 war between India and China. India asserts Aksai Chin as an integral part of its territory based on historical claims and past treaties.