BEIJING, May 17 -- Heluo mountain tunnel, the last tunnel on the long-waited Dali- Lijiang railway, got through on Saturday morning.

    The 5,800-meter tunnel, built in a layer of basalt and crystal tuff, was the toughest challenge of the 162.42-kilometer Dali-Lijiang railway.

    Soundbite: Dong Ming, deputy commander of Dali-Lijiang railway construction commanding office "The geology of the rock mass in southwest region is very special. It is more soft, watery and vulnerable. We met many difficulties during the construction and geological disasters occurred frequently."

    The completion of Heluo mountain tunnel made the Dali-Lingjiang railway possible to run trains before the end of the year.

    Soundbite: Dong Ming, deputy commander of Dali-Lijiang railway construction commanding office "It is listed as the first-class construction work of the whole project. Its completion means all tunnels of this railway are completed and the last obstacle has been removed. We planned to finish track laying before Oct.1."

    The construction of Dali-Lijiang railway, connecting the two world famous resorts Dali and Lijiang city, started in 2004, but was delayed due to geological hazards and disasters.

    The old towns of Dali and Lijiang in the two cities are state historic and cultural sites and receive millions of domestic and foreign visitors every year.

    Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Kunming.

    (Source: XHTV)