Asian Current

A Train to Lhasa

Tibet the ‘Roof of the World’ is all set to become accessible like never before. For centuries Tibet ranked at the top among the most inaccessible parts of the world - both geographically due to its extreme terrain, and politically since international movement was strictly restricted. But all that is set to change now with the opening up of the railroad that is going up to Lhasa, which is the capital of Tibet.

The new railroad is popularly referred to as the Qinghai-Tibet Railway, and it goes from the Western Chinese city of Lanzhou to Lhasa. In between it passes through some of the finest terrain you can ever come across making it among the most scenic railroad journeys. The Euro Rail routes, Rocky Mountain routes, railway lines in Canada, Scandinavia and Australia included. Though the Qinghai-Tibet Railway originates from the city of Lanzhou, but the fact is that, trains to Lhasa go from six other cities - they include Beijing, Shanghai, Chongqing, Chengdu, Xining and Guangzhou. The longest stretch is the Beijing-Lhasa route, and this 4064 km journey takes 47 hours 27 minutes to cover.

Since the train to Lhasa passes some of the highest passes and mountains, Altitude Sickness may be a worry, and so, the train has 2 Oxygen sources - Oxygen is released into the cabins when the train enters Tibet after Golmund, and there are personal Oxygen Canisters as well. You might need it because after Golmund the air becomes really thin, actually you get half Oxygen as compared to what you get at sea level. So take the precautions to enjoy a world of stunning landscapes you are about to enter.

Snow capped mountains are all around you as you pass through stark lunar landscapes. Not a green leaf anywhere. This is some landscape that is not available anywhere, at least in such a huge magnitude. After all, you are passing through the Tibetan Plateau - the Roof of the World. The only animals you will come across are sheep, donkeys, a wide variety of birds, and herds of wild yaks. And of course the endangered Tibetan Antelope. The cars are completely transparent, and so, you are always close to the scenery all around you.

En route, you will pass through Lake Namtso, the huge Qinghai Lake where as many as 20 rivers and streams flow into, Kunlun Mountain, Yangbajing thermal spring as well as the incredible and famous Potala Palace.

Here are some facts on the Train to Tibet:

• It is the highest railway in the world. As many as 960 kilometers are located 4,000 meters above sea level. The highest point is at 5,072 meters, 200 meters higher than the Andes Railway in Peru.
• 550 kilometers run on frozen earth, which us another record.
• Tanggula station at 5,068 meters above sea level is the highest station in the world
• Fenghuoshan Tunnel at 4,905 meters is the most elevated tunnel.
• The Qinghai-Tibet Railway to Lhasa is also referred to as the ‘Sky Train’, the ‘Lhasa Express’, ‘Rocket to the rooftop of the world’, and simply the ‘World’s highest railway’.
• To say the least, the Qinghai-Tibet Railway to Lhasa is an engineering marvel.