 The line was completed in July 2014 and opened for commercial operations on August 16, 2014.Soon after opening, the line became the primary mode of transport between Lhasa and Xigazê; the two destinations were previously only connected by road and air, and air travel was inaccessible at the time to the large majority of local residents.The exiled Central Tibetan Administration in Dharamsala has claimed that the rail line will dilute the cultural identity of Tibetans by accelerating the movement of Han migrants into Tibet.