Trains to Tibet

Here you can find a map that depicts a train route to Lhasa, capital of Tibet. The Qinghai-Tibet Railway is a high-elevation railway that connects Xining, Qinghai Province, to Lhasa, capital Tibet Autonomous Region of China. The length of the railway is 1,956 km.



 

The line includes the Tanggula Pass, which, at 5,072 m (16,640 feet) above sea level, is the world's highest railway. Tanggula railway station at 5,068 m (16,627 feet) is the world's highest railway station. 1,338 m (4,390 ft) Fenghuoshan tunnel is the highest rail tunnel in the world at 4,905 m (16,093 ft) above sea level. The 4,010 m (13,160 ft) Guanjiao tunnel is the longest tunnel between Xining and Golmod and 3,345 m (10,974 ft) Yangbajing tunnel is the longest tunnel between Golmod and Lhasa. More than 960 km (600 mi), over 80% of the Golmod-Lhasa section, is at an elevation of more than 4,000 m (13,123 ft). There are 675 bridges, totalling 159.88 km, and about 550 km is laid on permafrost.

At the beginning, only three trains ran: Beijing-Lhasa (every day), Chengdu/Chongqing-Lhasa (every other day), Lanzhou/Xining-Lhasa. Shanghai/Guangzhou-Lhasa services were added in October 2006. In July 2010 the Shanghai-Lhasa service became daily, and a daily service between Xining and Lhasa was added, but the service was then suspended for the winter low season.