Qinghai Tibet Railway - The Highest Railway In The World

The Qinghai Tibet Railway is a transportation link that is 1956 kilometres in length and it started functioning on the "roof over the world" only during the year of 2006.

Since then it has undergone plenty of tests to see that it can cope with the expected load it is said to receive. More than 960 km of the Golmud-Lhasa section, is at an altitude of more than 4,000 m, and there is approximately 550km of the track that runs directly over frozen earth but don’t be concerned as the trains are specially built for a high altitude environment.

The carriages used on the Golmud-Lhasa section are either deep green/yellow or deep red/yellow, and each passenger has easy access to oxygen.

When you purchase a ticket, a Passenger Health Registration Card can be obtained, and is required, to take the train between Golmud to Lhasa. Passengers must read the health notice for high-altitude travel and sign the agreement on the card to take the train.

Please Note:

• To enter Tibet by train, or any other means, you will need a Tibet Travel Permit aka Tibet Tourism Bureau (T.T.B.) permit. It actually does exist and is required to enter Tibet.

• You also need a Chinese Visa as well as a passport that is valid for at least 6 months before applying for the TTB.

Please check with your doctor before coming to take the trip. Those who have heart problems, high or low blood pressure are not recommended to take the train ride and visit Tibet.

The link that this railroad consists of is known to be the longest plateau railroad in the whole world; this could explain why it is so popular.

It is also the first railway to have been the connection between central Tibet and the rest of the world, which includes the Northern Tibetan Grasslands, Qinghai's Lake, Hoh Xil and Kulun Mountain.

Such a connections brings fears the railway will speed up the immigration of ethnic Chinese into Tibet, threatening its distinct cultural and religious dentist, and finally smother the remaining indigenous Tibetans.

Qinghai Tibet Railway might be the highest railway in the world, but it is also the most interesting. You will see majestic snow-capped mountains, glaciers, clear rivers and beautiful blue lakes on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.

You may also see endangered species like Tibetan Antelopes and wild yaks. But you will get a sense of the remoteness, beauty and unique geography whilst hurtling along the sky’s edge on the roof of the world.

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