The 1956-kilometer railway link begins in Xining, the capital city of Qinghai Province, and goes to Lhasa, the capital city of the Tibet Autonomous Region. The 814-kilometer-long stretch from Xining to Golmud was built in 1979 and started operation in 1984. The 1142-kilometer stretch between Golmud and Lhasa runs south along the Qinghai-Tibet Highway and was constructed by rebuilding the original 32-kilometer-long line from Golmud to Nanshankou and laying 1110 kilometers of new track. Upon its completion, the maximum train speed is designed to reach 100 kilometers per hour in frozen earth areas and 120 kilometers per hour on non-frozen earth. Currently, there are seven major departure cities Lhasa, Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Chongqing, and Lanzhou.

Due to the developed railway network and safety guarantee, It’s a rather good choice to travel to China by train, especially to Tibet by the Tibet train.

Why choose trains：

Preparing your body for high-altitude acclimatization reduces the risk of suffering from altitude sickness to some degree. ·      The most convenient and the cheapest way to get to Tibet ·      You can experience the marvelous and majestic man-made landform and witness the amazing natural beauty of the sceneries. ·      Through the window, you can encounter indigenous creatures like the Tibetan antelope, Tibetan wild donkey, and snow leopard to Tibet.

Oxygen supply and medical issues

The passenger carriages used on Lhasa trains are specially built and have an oxygen supply for each passenger. Every passenger train has a doctor.  Each seat in the train is equipped with an oxygen supply outlet for any possible emergency. Before the train reaches the high plateau, train attendants will distribute oxygen masks, you can connect the mask to the outlets on your bed.

Different train options：

 A. Soft sleeper (first-class option)

This is the most comfortable option on the train. You will have your bed. There are 4 berths in each cabin and is equipped with a TV. On each side 2 beds, upper and lower bunks. Toilets on the train are shared and are located at the end of each carriage. Furthermore, there is a lockable door to every single soft sleeper compartment.

B. Hard sleeper (the second-class option)

You will have your bed. There is enough space to lie down but not sit up on your bunk. There are 6 berths in one cabin, each side 3 berths, upper, middle, and lower bunks. It is open to the aisle of the train and no door.

A. Hard seat (the third-class option)

Passengers sit next to each other in open compartments of 4 or 6, you cannot lie down, and the space is a bit small. A hard seat is not recommended to Westerners since this cannot help acclimatize to the high altitude.

Toilet Facilities 

There are no private washrooms anywhere on the trains, all the toilets are shared by everyone. Remember to bring your toilet paper with you.

Public Wash Basins

As the wash basin is shared by all passengers on the carriage, it can get crowded from 7 to 9 a.m. and 6 to 9 p.m. in the
evening.

Hot Water Dispensers

Boiled water dispensers for drinking and preparing instant noodles and tea can be found at the end of the aisles. Please bring your cups and get water. Remember to drink more water and it will help prevent high altitude sickness.

There are sockets on the train but no WIFI available

There are sockets on the train for passengers to charge phones in the aisle. but remember the sockets and plugs used in China are A, C, and I. You can buy adapters in China in advance. WIFI is not available on the train, nor the access to the Internet. Smoking is not allowed in the cabin Smoking is strictly forbidden in the train as the train is tightly sealed and pressurized

Train ticket fees for children

Every adult can take 1 child whose height is under 1.2m, Children whose height is between 1.2 meters to 1.5 meters need to pay half the price of the ticket(but no seat), and if over 1.5m, need to pay the full fare of the ticket. Tips: Tibet train tickets are issued 30 days before departure. They are often sold out very quickly after the release dates. So is best to make your reservation as early as possible(better to make the payment 60 days in advance) 

Packing list: 

1. Certifications: Tibet Travel Permit, valid passport (those who hold a passport), credit card, a little cash 2. Anti-altitude medicines: Gaoyuanan or Gaoyuankang capsule, Diamox 3. Toiletries: towels, facial cleanser, soap, paper, towel, toothbrush, toothpaste, vacuum cup, flashlight (train cabin lights go out at 10 pm) 4. Sundries cell phone charger, USB cable, power bank, charger, flashcards, notebook, and pens.

How to Read a Tibet Train Ticket:

Note: the Tibet train ticket costs we listed in the table is net Tibet train ticket cost, but most of the time it is very difficult to get the train tickets as there are huge number of visitors taking the train every day, so certain amount of services will be added to get the tickets from local ticket agent, exact amount of service fees will different based on the season.