Qinghai-Tibet Railway
Qinghai–Tibet Railway is a high-altitude railway that connects Xining, Qinghai Province, to Lhasa, Tibet Autonomous Region, in China.
Total length of the Qingzang railway is 1956 kilometres (km). In 1984, the construction of the 815km section between Xining and Golmud was completed.
Here are some facts about the Qinghai-Tibet Railway:
* Qinghai-Tibet Railway is the world’s highest railway. Some 960km of its tracks are located above 4,000 metres (m) sea level and the highest point is 5,072m. This is 200m higher than the Peruvian railway in the Andes which was formerly the world’s most elevated track.
* The railway is the world’s longest plateau railroad, extending 1,956km from Qinghai’s provincial capital Xining to Lhasa in Tibet. The newly completed Golmud-Lhasa section zigzags 1,142km across the Kunlun and Tanggula mountain ranges.
* About 550km of the tracks run on frozen earth, the longest in any of the world’s plateau railways.
* The Tanggula Railway Station (5,068m above sea level) is the highest railway station in the world.
* The Fenghuoshan Tunnel (4,905m above sea level) is the world’s most elevated tunnel on frozen earth.
* The Kunlun Mountain Tunnel that is running 1,686m, is the world’s longest plateau tunnel built on frozen earth.
* The maximum train speed is designed to reach 100km per hour in the frozen earth areas and 120km per hour on non-frozen earth.
You can take a train to Tibet on the world’s highest railway known as ‘Qinghai-Tibet Railway’. Although traveling to Tibet via railway takes more time than by plane, it gives you more visual pleasure of the wonderful landscapes as you enjoy your ride. This is definitely a unique experience covering thousands of miles traveling on the world’s highest railway.
Learn Some Chinese Words:
qīng zàng tiě lù
青 藏 铁 路 Qinghai-Tibet Railway n.
xī zàng zì zhì qū
西 藏 自 制 区 Tibet Autonomous Region n.
lā sà
拉 萨 Lhasa n.
