The railroad will open up access to Tibet in ways we cannot predict. CNN has an interesting and long article on the railway to Tibet, and there are many others online. We know that the “Tibetan way of life” will become a thing of the past, and will uniquely adapt to contact with China and the rest of the world, but many things will survive. The discussion of what will survive has only begun.
What does this have to do with technology? Well the railway will force more and better communication as more people visit Lhasa. And more electronic channels will mean that more people will be in contact with the rest of the world – in spite of “China’s Golden Shield” – the great Chinese firewall that is meant to prohibit contact with politically-incorrect view (on the Internet) from outside Chine.