TRAIN TO TIBET

The Qingzang railway or Qinghai–Tibet railway is a high-altitude railway that connects Xining, Qinghai Province, to Lhasa, Tibet Autonomous Region, in China. The total length of Qingzang railway is 1,956 km.

Construction of the 815km section between Xining, the capital city of Qinghai Province and Golmud was completed by 1984. The 1,142 km section between Golmud and Lhasa was inaugurated on 1 July 2006. The first two passenger trains were ‘Qing 1' (Q1) from Golmud to Lhasa, and ‘Zang 2' (J2) from Lhasa. This railway is the first to connect China proper with the Tibet Autonomous Region, which is due to Tibet's altitude and terrain. Testing of the line and equipment started on 1 May 2006. Trains run from Beijing, Chengdu, Chongqing, Xining and Lanzhou. The line includes the Tanggula Pass, at 5,072m (16,640 feet) above sea level the world's highest rail track. The 1,338 m Fenghuoshan Tunnel is the highest rail tunnel in the world, at 4,905m above sea level. The 3,345-meter Yangbajing Tunnel is the longest tunnel on the line. It is 4,264m above sea level, 80km northwest of Lhasa. More than 960km, or over 80% of the Golmud-Lhasa section, is at an altitude of more than 4,000m. There are 675 bridges, totaling 159.88km, and over half the length of the railway is laid on permafrost. In the Golmud to Lhasa part of the line, 45 stations are open, 38 of which are unstaffed, monitored in the control center in Xining. 13 more stations are planned.