The cumulative amount of goods entering and leaving Tibet through the Qinghai-Tibet Railway has exceeded 100 million tons.

According to the China Railway Qinghai-Tibet Group Co., Ltd., the freight volume of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway has steadily increased in the 20 years since it opened for operation. As of April 13, 2026, the total volume of goods transported through the Qinghai-Tibet Railway to and from Tibet has exceeded 100 million tons. The Qinghai-Tibet Railway opened for full operation on July 1, 2006, putting an end to Tibet's history of not having a railway. Over the past 20 years, the freight volume of goods transported to and from Tibet has steadily increased and continued to grow. In 2006, the freight volume to and from Tibet was only 361,000 tons, but by the end of 2025, it had climbed to 8.313 million tons, with an average annual growth rate of 18.0%. Specifically, the volume of goods transported to Tibet increased from 340,000 tons in 2006 to 6.908 million tons in 2025, with an average annual growth rate of 17.2%. The volume of goods transported from Tibet increased from 21,000 tons in 2006 to 1.405 million tons in 2025, with an average annual growth rate of 24.8%. With the continuous growth in freight demand, the capacity of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway freight transport corridor has been continuously released, and the layout of the railway network has been continuously optimized. The Golmud section of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway, as the core freight transport corridor, has undergone comprehensive upgrades since its initial opening, with the number of stations increasing to 58, traction quality increasing to 2,880 tons, and the number of passenger and freight train operations increasing to 17 pairs. The freight network continues to expand and extend, with the Lari Railway and Lalin Railway connecting to the Qinghai-Tibet Railway, forming a "Y"-shaped railway backbone. The operating mileage of the Tibet Railway has exceeded 1,000 kilometers, with the number of stations handling freight business increasing to 5, and the railway's radiation capacity has been strengthened.