When I visited Lhasa the first time in May 2004 I said to my friend that it would surely take another ten years to finish such a high technical project like the Tibet Railway.
Three years later I was sitting myself in this train from Lhasa to Xining.
Opponents of China's Tibet policies claim that the railway was built to strengthen its political control over Tibet. But fact is the project is a masterwork of a technical construction.
There were and are many technical difficulties for such a railway. About half of the second section was built on barely permanent permafrost. In the summer, the uppermost layer thaws, and the ground becomes muddy. Chinese engineers dealt with this problem by building elevated tracks with foundations sunk deep into the ground, building hollow concrete pipes beneath the tracks to keep the rail bed frozen, and using metal sun shades. Similar to the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System portions of the track are also passively cooled with ammonia based heat exchangers.
Most of the passengers go the way from Beijing to Lhasa which is the absolute wrong decision. Not only that its very difficult to get a booking the main problem is the acclimation to the altitude which cannot done before in Beijing with an elevation of only 43 Meters. If you use this way be sure you'll get massive problems with the altitude sickness due climbing to the rail way pass of 5,072 Meters within 36 hours.
Better to choose the way from Lhasa to Xining or further on to Beijing. You'll have the opportunity to stay in Lhasa in an altitude of 3,700 Meters for some days and get ready for the train ride toward to the world highest train-pass.
Our way from Lhasa to Xining is exact 1,972 km and it takes 23 hours and 50 Minutes. The train started Lhasa punctually and reached Xining punctually on the minute.
Its an amazing ride and you'll see the Tibetan landscape in such a breathtaking way that you'll never get out of your memory. I was asked to post my photos here that you can make your own impression.
When I visited Lhasa the first time in May 2004 I said to my friend that it would surely take another ten years to finish such a high technical project like the Tibet Railway.
Three years later I was sitting myself in this train from Lhasa to Xining.
Opponents of China's Tibet policies claim that the railway was built to strengthen its political control over Tibet. But fact is the project is a mas…
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A strict security check is necessary before boarding the train coach
The departure indicator shows the next four trains, in both Chinese and Tibetan, though the headings are in Chinese only. The times and train numbers are in Latin alphanumeric characters.
The Lhasa passenger railway station is large compared to current needs as it has four track serving two island platforms, all undercover of an overall roof. There is room for one more island platform and three more tracks.
Just some kilometers out of Lhasa there are large grain fields, most barley. In the altitude of nearly 4,000 Meters it isn't easy to grow up plants, just some types of grain and vegetable grow in this area.
The Yarlung Zangbo River or Yarlung Tsang Po originates upstream from the South Tibet Valley and Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon in Tibet. Downstream from Arunachal Pradesh in India the river becomes wider and at this point is called the Brahmaputra River. It eventually disgorges into the Bay of Bengal. Since the river crosses international boundaries, it has at least three different names in different languages.
The Tsang Po river also called Yarlung Zangbo Rive…
The Yarlung Zangbo River is the highest major river in the world. Its longest tributary is the Nyang River. In Tibet the river flows through the South Tibet Valley, which is approximately 1,200 kilometres long and 300 kilometres wide. The valley descends from 4,500 meters above sea level to 3,000 meters. As it descends, the surrounding vegetation changes from cold desert to arid steppe to deciduous scrub vegetation. It ultimately transitions into a conifer and rhododendron forest. The tree line is approximately 3,200 metres.
The railway track often is constructed parallel to the highway. A day before our ride with the train, I'd the change to capture the Tibet train from the road side. Look to the following pix.
The total length of Qingzang railway is 1956 km. Construction of the 815 km section between Xining and Golmud was completed by 1984. The 1142 km section between Golmud and Lhasa was inaugurated on 1 July 2006 by president Hu Jintao: the first two passenger trains were "Qing 1" from Golmud to Lhasa, and "Zang 2" from Lhasa. This railway is the first to connect China proper with Tibet Autonomous Region, which due to its altitude and terrain is the last province-level entity in mainland China to have a conventional railway. Testing of the line and equipment started on 1 May 2006. Passenger trains run from Beijing, Chengdu, Chongqing, Guangzhou, Shanghai, Xining and Lanzhou.
Qinghai-Tibet Railway is the world's highest railway. Some 960 kilometers of its tracks are located 4,000 meters above sea level and the highest point is 5,072 meters.
The railway extends 1,972 kilometers from Qinghai's provincial capital Xining to Lhasa in Tibet. The Golmud-Lhasa section zigzags 1,142 kilometers across the Kunlun and Tanggula mountain ranges.
About 550 kilometers of the tracks run on frozen earth, the longest such railroad on earth.
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 (1,686 meters) is the world's longest high altitude tunnel built on frozen earth.
There are a total of 45 stations along the rail line.
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.
The Qinghai-Tibet Railway took the work of 200 scientists, engineers and technicians with numerous innovative engineering methods and technologies never used before. To construct tunnels, bridges and roadbeds, engineers had to overcome a range of challenges including perennial frozen ground, rugged terrain, high altitudes, frigid temperatures, strong winds, lack of oxygen, and protecting the unique, fragile and sensitive geographical environment of the Tibet plateau.
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