The logistics center, covering 533 hectares, is next to a railway station in Nagqu Township of Nagqu County in northern Tibet.

According to Hao Peng, executive vice chairman of the Tibet Autonomous Region, it should be up and running with 15 months and will cost RMB1.5 billion ($200 million). The center is expected to handle 2.23 million tons of cargo by 2015 and 3.1 million by 2020.

Lu Chunfang, vice minister of railways said, ‘The northern part of Tibet is rich in natural resources, and the Nagqu logistics center will provide easier access to the resources, which will drive the industrial development and trade in the area and raise its self-development capabilities.’

So what do the locals think? Xinhua, the news service, asked Dunzhu, a local herder. She said she supported the idea. She said, ‘To me, it means that I have access to more commodity goods my family needs, and easier ways to sell our dairy goods.’

According to the Tibet Regional Statistics BureauTibet’s gross domestic product (GDP) posted a 14.7% growth to reach RMB14 billion ($1.84 billion) in the first half of this year.