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 Shigatse; the two destinations were previously only connected by road and air, and air travel was too expensive at the time for the large majority of local residents.

[4] The line includes 14 stations, of which only a few see regular passenger traffic (Qüxü, Rinbung).

[5] The completion of this project opened up possible extensions of the network further west and south into Nepal and to Yadong County, close to the border with Sikkim, India.

[7] However it has also been reported that the line will be extended to Gyirong County regardless of the progress on the China-Nepal railway.