Travel from Xining to Lhasa

As the closest capital city to Tibet and the starting city of the world famous Qinghai-Tibet Railway, Xining is a very important gateway city to Tibet. Located on the eastern edge of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and the upper reaches of Huangshui River, Xining is the political, economic, scientific and technological, cultural and traffic center of Qinghai Province and the east gate of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. As the most common passing channel of the ancient Silk Road, Xining has a profound cultural background as well as fantastic landscape. Just outside the city are many famous monasteries, national parks, and nomadic grasslands worth visiting.

Xining also provides different choices for travelers who want to travel to Lhasa from this city. Travelers can travel from Xining to Lhasa by train, by air, by car, by bike and even by foot.

Trains from Xining to Lhasa                                     

Traveling to Tibet by train has become a fashionable way among travelers for they will be on the highest railway in the world, the Qinghai-Tibet Railway. Since Xining is the starting point of this railway, all the trains to Tibet from mainland China stop here or start from here. The trains from other cities like Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu and Guangzhou usually stop at Xining train station for over 10 minutes. There are also two trains from Xining to Lhasa starting at this station every day. In the peak season of Tibet’s tourism, there might be one more train starting from Xining to Lhasa in order to release the load of the existing trains. It takes around 24 hours from Xining to Lhasa by train and costs about 1,000 RMB including the ticket fare and food onboard, but excluding the service fee charged by your travel agency who books the Tibet train tickets for you. You know, it is usually hard for individual travelers to get a sleeper berth ticket in the peak season as most train tickets are reserved by large travel companies.

Flights from Xining to Lhasa  

Currently, there are only two flights from Xining to Lhasa. One is Flight 3U8687 (A319) operated by Sichuan Airlines and the other is Flight TV9826 (A319) operated by Tibet Airlines. Both flights take 2.5 hours to fly to Tibet, which saves much time.

Qinghai-Tibet Highway

The Qinghai-Tibet Highway connecting Xining and Lhasa was the major link between these two cities before the operation of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway. Many domestic travelers travel to Tibet via this highway by car and bike. Some pilgrims even spend months to go to Lhasa on foot along this road. 

Xining, a place worthy of visit before boarding the train to Tibet

Xining, capital of Qinghai Province in west China, is the starting point of the famous Qinghai-Tibet Railway. Every train to Lhasa, capital of Tibet stops here a while. Some travelers get off the train here to enjoy a short Xining tour before they continue their trip to Tibet. 

Xining has a history of over 2100 years and the gateway to travel between Tibet and the Gansu Corridor Silk Road trade route. It was also a chief commercial hub on the Hexi Corridor caravan route to Tibet, handling especially timber, wool and salt in ancient times.  

Xining now is known as a summer resort city due to its cool weather in summer. Of course, apart from the pleasant weather, it has many attractions making a tour here well worth considering. It provides both cultural and natural attractions.

The representative cultural tourist site in Xining should be Taer Monastery, to the city’s southwest. It is the birthplace of Tsong Khapa, the founder of the Gelugpa or the Yellow Hat Sect of Tibetan Buddhism. It is a must-visit place in this city. Now, it is the religious activity center of both monks and followers of the Yellow Hat Sect. During its long 400 years of history, it has gradually become a place of interest for its distinct ethnic color and native style.

Then the representative natural tourist site in Xining is Qinghai Lake. This lake offers an escape from fervent cities and allows you to experience beautiful natural scenery relaxedly. Situated on the northwest of the lake, the Bird Island is the highlight of this lake.

No wonder most visitors to Tibet from both home and abroad would stop at Xining for one or two days during the journey to Tibet. From Xining, it is easy to travel to Lhasa. For domestic travelers, they prefer to drive or cycle along the Qinghai-Tibet Highway to Lhasa to get more close to the nature if the time permits. Otherwise, they would take the train from Xining to Lhasa, which is also a popular way to Tibet among foreign travelers for they are curious about the world’s highest railway, the Qinghai-Tibet Railway. In addition, travelers can also fly to Tibet from Xining. 

The Highlights of a Tibet Train Journey start from Golmud to Lhasa

Though the Qinghai-Tibet Railway starts from Xining, capital of Qinghai Province, its highlight is the section from Golmud to Lhasa. The lotal length of this railway is 1,956 km, 815 km of which is between Xining and Golmud and 1,142 km of which lies between Golmud and Lhasa. Over 80% of the Golmud-Lhasa section is at an elevation of over 4,000 meters above sea level, with the highest point of 5072 meters at the Tanggula Pass.

To build the railway from Golmud to Lhasa, engineers were confronted with many challenges. The biggest challenges were permafrost, lack of oxygen and fragile ecological environment. Among them, the permafrost was a world-class problem that confused experts all over the world. About half of the second section was built on permafrost. In the summer, the uppermost layer thaws, and the ground becomes muddy. The heat from the trains passing above is able to melt the permafrost even with a small change in temperature.

To maintain the permafrost, embankments of large rocks were built at areas of permafrost that were not very fragile, while railway bridges were built in the most fragile areas. In addition, elevated tracks with pile driven foundations sunk deep into the ground were built. Similar to the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System portions of the track were also passively cooled with ammonia based heat exchangers.

During the Tibet train journey from Golmud to Lhasa, travelers can see the world's longest plateau railroad, the world’s longest track on frozen earth, the world’s highest railway station – the Tanggula Train Station, the world’s highest railway tunnel- the Fenghuoshan Tunnel, the world’s longest plateau tunnel– the Kunlun Mountain Tunnel and the world’s longest plateau railway bridge- the Qingshui River Bridge, as well as experience the world’s fastest train on frozen earth- the Qinghai Tibet train.       

 On the train to Lhasa, travelers can also enjoy the uniquely and breathtakingly beautiful scenery along the Qinghai-Tibet Railway, snow-capped mountains, grand glaciers, boundless grassland, vast desert, clear rivers and lakes, blue sky, white clouds, colourful wild flowers, flocks of sheep and yaks, Tibetan nomads’ tents, etc. No wonder many people say it is a lifetime journey. 

Nagchu, the northern Tibetan pearl by the Qinghai-Tibet Railway

Nagchu which means “black river” in Tibetan language refers to a prefecture in northern Tibet or a town within the prefecture. The Nagchu town located at an elevation of around 4,500 metres and by located by the well-known Qinghai-Tibet Railway is the administrative center of this prefecture.

The Nagchu known as “a pearl in northern Tibet” is famous for its unique landscape, the vast Qiangtang Grassland, the holy lakes Namtso, Tangra Yumco and over 1,000 other lakes like jadeite scattered on the grassland of the plateau. There are also many hot springs and geothermal spots at this region.

Located at a high altitude, the Nagchu has a harsh, alpine climate, with long, very cold and dry winters, and short, cool summers. But it is the paradise for many species of alpine wildlife and vegetation. On the grassland, it is easy to see wild yaks, Tibetan antelope, and Tibetan wild donkeys even you are on the train to Tibet.

The Qiangtang Grassland is one of the five biggest pastures in China. The Grassland is surrounded by the Kulun, Tanggula, Kangdese and Nyainquetanglha mountains and covers an area of 600,000 square kilometres which is about half of Tibet’s total area.

The Nagchu is also rich in unique culture and customs. Local people there have created colorful religious legends for the mountains, lakes and rivers, which have retained their unspoiled natural appearance. The annual Nagchu Horse Racing Festival held on the grassland attracts thousands of travelers each year. During the one-week horse racing festival, various activities are held such as horsemanship, tugs of war, carrying rocks, archery, yak racing and Tibetan dances. The most attractive part is the festival attire worn by herders, especially girls and middle-aged women. At festivals, most of the girls and middle-aged women wear gorgeous and expensive Tibetan gowns and hang a lot of tinkling trinkets with them, which forms a beautiful scene on the green grassland.

Now, the 2013 Nagchu Horse Racing Festival is approaching and will be held in the coming August. It is time to book Tibet train tickets if you want to enjoy a tour to the grassland during the festival. Tibettravel Org, as a top Tibet travel agency, can help you book the train tickets as well as arrange the tour for you.  

Xining to Lhasa Train

This mind-blowing private tour is the perfect way for a taste of Lhasa’s best in a short amount of time. There is another super highlight—the Sky Train, the world’s highest train from Xining to Lhasa across the 5200 meter high mountain pass amidst the grand vistas of surreal mountain range and uniquely shaped Tibetan Landscape. It would be an unforgettable expedition across full bosomed clear streams cascading down beautiful mountain ranges, sharing kisses with glistering dew drops, an amorous ride with nature. It would be the dream of any tourists from any land.

When taking a train to Lhasa, you can enjoy enormous sceneries and landscapes on the way. Starting from Xining, you may be shocked by the grand Qinghai Lake, Yangpachen Hot Spring, the Kekexili Nature Reserve and etc. When crossing the Kekexili Nature Reserve, were you lucky enough, you can see the legendary Tibetan antelopes running and chasing just around the Qinghai—Tibet railway. When it comes to rainy days, you are not able to see these cute annimals, but a rarer scenery can take your breath away—colorful lightenings. However, don’t you worry about it. Tibet train has equipped lightening conductors.

Xining to Lhasa Train Schedule and Fee

Train No.	Departure	Arrival	Frequency	Distance	Duration	Price
						Hard Sleeper	Soft Sleeper
K9801	Xining (15:04,1st day)	Lhasa (14:55,2nd day)	Daily	1960km	23h51m	CNY 523	CNY 810
K9811	Xining (22:00,1st day)	Lhasa (21:40,2nd day)	Every Other Day		23h40m

Xining to Lhasa Train K9801 Timetable and Station

Station	Date	Arrival	Departure
Xining West	Day 1		15:04
Delingha		20:49	20:55
Golmud	Day 2	00:19	00:39
Anduo		08:39	08:41
Nakchu		09:59	10:05
Damxung		11:54	11:56
Lhasa		14:55

Xining to Lhasa Train K9811 Timetable and Station

Station	Date	Arrival	Departure
Xining West	Day 1		22:00
Delingha	Day 2	03:48	03:54
Golmud		07:32	07:52
Nakchu		17:55	18:01
Damxung		19:44	19:46
Lhasa		21:40

If you are planning a trip to Tibet by train, Contact Tibettravel.Org, a top online China-based Tibet tour operator, offering a wide array of train trips to Lhasa from Beijing, Shanghai,Chengdu and Xining. Visit: http://www.tibettravel.org/tibet-train.

Why Do We Build Qinghai—Tibet Railway

Tibet—the only province that didn’t have railway connecting to other places, now has endedn this embarrassing situation. Problems like frozen tundra, lack of oxygen and fragile ecological environment are reasons for foreign countries to believe that this railway is never going to complete. Yet after 4 years’ fighting and struggling, this promise has been kept by China. We have built the longest railway on Tibet Plateau with the highest altitude. But why do we build this railway on earth?

In 1973, Zhou Enlai once said that “Without Tibet railway, it’s almost impossible to enhance frontier, develop its economy and level up people’s well-being”. The decision of building Qinghai—Tibet railway was hard yet made with strong will. In the duration of erection, many peoblems and emergencies emerged. This once had been suspended for years, and now we reopen this program under the call of Go West campaign.

The train to Lhasa would bring mainland market and this isolated Tibet market together, which will bring down the cost of Tibetans ‘s daily life. The bottoleneck of Tibet’s development is that it’s virtually an isolated region seperated from the mainland. After the completion of Qinghai—Tibet railway, Lhasa, as a matter of fact has been officially connected with some of the 1^st and 2^nd class cities.

The tourism industry will be one of the beneficiary. Tibet’s mystery and grand landscape has been attracting tourists all over the world. Dut to the inconvenient transportation, there is a saying in China: It’s easy to travel abroad, yet hard to go to Tibet. Now the Tibet train can bring you to your destination with a cheaper price and with a prettier jounery.

If you are planning a trip to Tibet by train, Contact Tibettravel.Org, a top online China-based Tibet tour operator, offering a wide array of train trips to Lhasa from Beijing, Shanghai,Chengdu and Xining. Visit   http://www.tibettravel.org/tibet-train

Qinghai—Tibet Railway in Others’ Eyes

By building this railway on the "Roof of the World", China rewrote the world's history of railway construction. The feat also nullified the prophetic words given by American train traveler Paul Theroux, who said that the Kunlun Mountain Range was "a guarantee that the railway will never get to Lhasa."

Extending 1,956 kilometers from Xining to Lhasa, the Qinghai-Tibet Railway is the world's longest plateau railway. It is also the world's highest. Some 960 kilometers of its tracks were laid 4,000 meters above sea level. The highest section is 5,072 meters above sea level, even 200 meters higher than the Peruvian Railway that runs on the Andes and was once dubbed "the world's most elevated rail tracks."

Under harsh conditions of a low oxygen level and low temperatures, the railway builders solved several difficulties in design and construction to create an "engineering marvel". On the permafrost and slush along the route once believed to be impossible to support tracks and trains, the train speed can reach 100 kilometers per hour.

The completion of the railway also paves the way for trade between China and South Asian nations such as India and Nepal, which were blocked by inconvenient transportation.

The Oushinet commented that “It’s not just simply a road built by China, but a path leading towards development and promotion.” It expressed its consern about building a railway at the high altitude of about 5000 meters at first. However, the mission impossible had been solved by Chinese engineers within 5 year. This marvel again, demonstrated that any impossible thing else where meant possible in China.

If you want to travel to Tibet by this miracle Tibet train, now is the time to find where to book ticket to Lhasa. For more information in English, visit http://www.tibettravel.org/tibet-train, which is owned by China International Travel Coporation, Tibet Service and this company offers a wide array of trips to Tibet by train.

The Qinghai Tibet railway’s influence on people’s life in Tibet

As a special geographical unit, Tibet’s economic development will be dependent on the external for a long time. Due to the limited capacity of the existing road transport and high transportation costs, the exchange of goods has no substantial increase. This, therefore, undoubtedly limits the potential for economic growth in Tibet.

It is showed in Tibet’s GDP based on the past data that Tibet's economic growth increasingly depends on the cargo access to Tibet. Therefore, after the completion of the Qinghai-Tibet railway, transportation bottleneck will be broken and cargo out of Tibet will greatly enhance the sustainable development of Tibet's economy which will undoubtedly play a decisive role to Tibet's economic growth.

Just take construction industry as an example, the construction industry has become one of Tibet's rapid development of industries. The experts pointed out that the huge need of construction materials by the development of Tibet’s construction industry. But limited resources and environmental constraints, Tibet is not suitable for large-scale development of building materials industry, especially the production of cement. The need of Tibet of raw materials will continue increase. Now, all materials transported by the car and the costs of transport remain high. After the completion of the Qinghai-Tibet railway, the freight will be significantly lower, and out of Tibet's freight traffic will be significantly enhanced.

According to statistics, after the completion of Qinghai-Tibet railway, the annual growth rate of approximately 20% domestic and overseas tourists, domestic and overseas tourists to Tibet, the direct per capita income of about 1,100 Yuan. People travel to Tibet by train keep an annual growth rate of approximately 35%. On this basis, assuming that the Qinghai-Tibet railway was put into operation in 2006, 2006-2010 annual growth rate of the number of visitors by 30% calculation, then travel to Tibet in 2010 the number of tourists from home and abroad are expected to reach 528.24 million, with a per capita to Tibet to direct income 1100 Yuan total, by 2010, Tibet's tourism offer because of the direct income of up to 5.811 billion Yuan.

Top ten world’s records made by Qinghai-Tibet Railway

1. The highest railway in the world

960 kilometers of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway lies at 4,000 meters above sea level. It is the highest in the world at present. Its highest point is 5,072 meters, at least 200 meters higher than the former world’s highest railway, the Peruvian railway in the Andes.

2. The first railway to Tibet

The Qinghai-Tibet Railway ended Tibet’s history without a railway and became the first railway to Tibet. It links Tibet with mainland China and connects Tibetan people with the outside world.   

3. The longest plateau railroad in the world  

The total length of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway is 1,956 kilometers from Xining to Lhasa. 1,142 kilometers of it perches at an average altitude of 4,000 meter, across the Kunlun and Tanggula mountain ranges.

4. The longest track on frozen earth in the world

550 kilometers of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway was built on frozen earth. It is longer than any other plateau railways in the world.  

5. The highest railway station in the world

The highest point of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway is Tangula Pass at 5,072 meters near which Tanggula Railway Station is located at 5,068 meters above sea level. It is the highest train station on the earth.  

6. The highest railway tunnel in the world  

The Fenghuoshan Tunnel of Qinghai-Tibet Railway built at 4,905 meters above sea level, is the most elevated on frozen earth in the world.

7. The longest plateau tunnel in the world

The Kunlun Mountain Tunnel of the railway with a total length of 1,686 meters is the world's longest plateau tunnel built on frozen earth.  

8. The longest plateau railway bridge in the world

With a total length of 11.7 kilometers, the Qingshui River Bridge, at an altitude of 4500 meters in the Hoh Xil unpopulated area, is noted as the longest plateau railway bridge in the world.

9. The fastest train on frozen earth in the world

The maximum speed of the train to Tibet is designed to reach 100 kilometers per hour in frozen earth areas, and 120 kilometers per hour on non-frozen earth.

10. No worker died of altitude sickness  

Around 100,000 engineers and construction workers were involved in the construction of the railway, and 10% of them were from local ethnic groups. None of the workers died of altitude sickness during the construction.

If you are planning a trip to Tibet by train, contact Tibettravel.Org, a top online China-based Tibet tour operator, offering a wide array of train trips to Lhasa from Beijing, Shanghai,Chengdu and Xining. Visit http://www.tibettravel.org/tibet-train/ for more information.