LHASA, July 1 (Xinhua) -- The Qinghai-Tibet Railway, the world's highest, stretches 1,956 km from Xining, capital of Qinghai Province, to Lhasa, capital of the China's Tibet Autonomous Region, and became operational on July 1, last year.

    The following are some figures related to the railway on its one year anniversary.

    -- A year after its inauguration, the railway has transported 1.5 million passengers into Tibet, nearly half of the total tourists arrivals in the region.

    -- According to a recent poll conducted by the State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA), 96.9 percent of the Tibetan residents surveyed said they were satisfied with environmental protection along the Qinghai-Tibet railway. A field investigation along the route found no evidence of damage to the local environment.

    -- As of the beginning of June, 60,000 tons of waste have been collected and properly handled at the Qinghai-Tibet Railway stations and no pollution incidents have been reported.

    -- Tibet received four billion yuan (about 513 million U.S. dollars) of domestic and overseas investment last year, about the total of the previous five years, which amounted to 5.1 billion yuan (656 million U.S. dollars) between 2001 and 2005.

    -- The central government will invest 77.8 billion yuan (10.23 billion U.S. dollars) in 180 projects in Tibet between 2006 and 2010.

    -- The railway has helped introducing the Tibetan arts and culture to the rest of China. At the International Cultural Industries Fair held in May in Shenzhen, the total contract value of culture investment in Tibet reached 120 million yuan (15.4 million U.S. dollars).

    -- The railway has facilitated pilgrimage for the Tibetan people. Last year, 328,000 pilgrims visited the Potala Palace, Norbuglinkha and Johkang Monastery, the top three religious sites and tourist destinations in Lhasa, an increase of 62,000 from the previous year.