Transport Developing-up of Tibet: Experience for Siberia and Russian Far East’s Regions
https://doi.org/10.7868/S2658697525040085
Abstract
The transport development of Tibet began in the 1950s, but it was especially rapid in the first quarter of the 21st century, despite the extremely harsh natural conditions of this high-mountain region. According to information collected from Chinese sources, the process of development of the territory has been reconstructed chronologically almost completely. Six stages have been identified: (1) transport isolationism from the outside world (before 1954); (2) road penetration from the outside, the emergence of the first elements of the internal road network and the only airport (1954–1979); (3) the formation of the internal framework of the road network and large local airports (1980–2005); (4) the first penetration of the railway from the outside, the formation of a cyclical structure in the road network, the expansion of the network of local airports (2006–2013); (5) expansion of the internal railway network, the appearance of the first high-speed highways (2014–2023); (6) construction of new railway entrances from the outside, creation of a framework of internal high-speed highways, expansion of the network of civil airports (2024–2035). Transport development of the territory gradually accelerated, and its characteristic time was compressed. The experience of transport development of Tibet can be used in drawing up programs for the development of transport in the regions of Siberia and the Russian Far East, similar to Tibet. It is recommended to include in them the construction of new, additional entrance railways and highways, the creation of intraregional railways and highways of high technical quality, duplication of the most congested highways with new highways parallel to them, the construction of new airports in remote points and areas isolated from the ground transport network.
Keywords
China,
Tibet,
Tibet Autonomous Region,
transport network,
transport development,
road network,
railways network
Supporting agencies: The study was carried out according to the state order of the Institute of Geography of the Russian Academy of Sciences “Socioeconomic Space of Russia in the Context of Global Transformations: internal and External Challenges” no. 124032900015-3 (FMWS-2024-0008).
About the Author
S. A. Tarkhov
Institute of Geography, Russian Academy of Sciences
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Moscow
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For citations:
Tarkhov S.A. Transport Developing-up of Tibet: Experience for Siberia and Russian Far East’s Regions. Izvestiya Rossiiskoi Akademii Nauk. Seriya Geograficheskaya. 2025;89(4):617–637. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.7868/S2658697525040085
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