On October 21, a significant upgrade unfolded at the Happy Ridge station on the Qinghai-Tibet Railway, located in the Tuo River region, where temperatures have fallen below zero degrees Celsius. At an altitude of 4,756 meters, the station was buzzing with activity.
The work being conducted is part of a critical rail replacement project overseen by the Golmud Maintenance Division of the China Railway Qinghai-Tibet Group. Under the guidance of Xu Bing, the head of the division’s key maintenance workshop, the operation officially kicked off with a clear directive to the construction teams regarding the schedule and precise details of the task.
“This station’s rail replacement is a key part of the upgrades along the Golmud-Lhasa section. Our team must not only tackle the challenges posed by the harsh, high-altitude environment but also ensure that the project maintains superior quality throughout the replacement process,” said Xing Junliang, deputy head of the Golmud Maintenance Division, who is responsible for on-site project acceptance.
Positioned along the upper reaches of the Tuo River, Happy Ridge station serves as a crucial access point to the Tanggula Mountain Range. All equipment is situated within permafrost regions and high-altitude, uninhabited areas of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.
To guarantee the quality and efficiency of the rail replacement, the Golmud Maintenance Division proactively prepared the site. Teams conducted thorough inspections and closely monitored the project as they readied the area for the laying of new steel tracks.
Initial operations involved the dismantling of existing tracks. Amid the roar of internal combustion wrenches, crews systematically removed nuts and bolts, swiftly extracting old rails and installing new ones. Meanwhile, critical welding and freezing tasks for damaged rail ends were underway, with workers expertly setting up welding molds for aluminothermic welding. As the molten metal poured from the crucibles, the heat radiated through the chilly air.
By 3:05 PM, after three hours of intensive labor, the team successfully completed the installation of the P60 side-milled new rails at the Happy Ridge station.
“After a thorough site inspection, we found that today’s rail replacement fully utilized the 180 minutes of the scheduled downtime, achieving the construction goals with high quality. This upgrade will effectively address operational issues like train swaying, rail wear, and damage caused by rail joints in the station’s switch area,” Xing Junliang added.
