Tibet Railway Data Base
Qinghai-Tibet Railway is the world's highest railway. Part of its tracks is located 4,000 meters above
sea level and the highest point is 5,072 meters.
The railway is the world's longest plateau railroad, extending 1,956 kilometers from Qinghai's
provincial capital Xining to Lhasa in Tibet.
About 550 kilometers of the tracks run on frozen earth, the longest in any of the world's plateau railways.
Altogether there are 45 stations along the rail line. Tanggula Railway Station, 5,068 meters above sea
level, is the highest railway station in the world.
Fenghuoshan Tunnel, 4,905 meters above sea level, is the world's most elevated tunnel on frozen earth.
Kunlun Mountain Tunnel, running 1,686 meters, is the world's longest plateau tunnel built on frozen earth.
Upon its completion, the maximum train speed is designed to reach 100 km per hour in the frozen earth areas and 120 km per hour on non-
frozen earth.
There are abundant tourism resources along the route, including Qinghai Lake, Potala Palace, as well as habitats for many special wild animals.
Qinghai-Tibet Railway is the first eco-railway in China. The Tibet Plateau environment is so fragile that the Qinghai-Tibet Railway is taking on
volunteers to educate passengers and staff about maintaining the pristine environment and not tossing out their rubbish. And there are
constructing 33 special passageways to allow wild animals to cross the railway.
According to the Tibet Tourism Bureau, Tibet will see an annual increase of 400,000 tourists due to the
new railway.
Lhasa, the capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region, is an ancient city with a history of over 1,300 years.
The Lhasa of today, however, is not only famous as the "City of Sunlight", but also as the city from which
one can determine the pulse of a constantly changing Tibet. With the world’s highest Qinghai-Tibet
Railway, more and more passengers will reach Lhasa to enjoy the beautiful landscape and mysterious
culture in Tibet.
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