The Qinghai–Tibet railway or Qingzang railway (, ; ) is a high-elevation railway line in China between Xining, Qinghai Province, and Lhasa, Tibet. With over of track being more than above sea level, it is the highest railway line in the world.
Construction began on the section between Xining and Golmud in 1958 and was completed in 1984; the remaining from Golmud to Lhasa started construction in 2001 and opened in 2006, making it the first railway line in Tibet. Passenger trains run from Beijing, Chengdu, Chongqing, Guangzhou, Shanghai, Xining, and Lanzhou, and can carry between 800 and 1,000 passengers during peak season.
In addition to being the world's highest railway, the line is the holder of numerous other records; the line includes the Tanggula Pass, the highest point on a railway in the world at above sea level, and Tanggula railway station at is the world's highest railway station. The long Fenghuoshan tunnel is the highest rail tunnel in the world at above sea level.
In 2022, the Chinese government announced plans for the line to be electrified. Construction started in June 2022 and was expected to take three years, at a total cost of 14.84 billion yuan.
Construction
The capital of the Qinghai Province, Xining, became connected with the rest of the country by rail in 1959, when the Lanqing Railway from Lanzhou was completed.
The section of the future Qingzang Railway from Xining to Golmud, Qinghai opened to traffic in 1984. But the remaining section from Golmud to Lhasa could not be constructed until technical difficulties of building railroad tracks on permafrost were solved. This section was formally started on 29 June 2001, finished on 12 October 2005, and signaling work and track testing took another eight months. It was completed in five years at a cost of $3.68 billion.The first train rumbles on highest railway // Xin Dingding (China Daily), Updated: 1 July 2006
Track-laying in Tibet was launched from both directions, towards Tanggula Mountain and Lhasa, from Amdo railway station on 22 June 2004. On 24 August 2005, track was laid at the railway's highest point, the Tanggula Pass, above sea level.Xinhua News Agency (24 August 2005). New height of world's railway born in Tibet. Retrieved 25 August 2005.
There are 44 stations, among them Tanggula Mountain railway station, at the world's highest. Peru's Ticlio railway station at is the highest in the Americas (Cóndor station; at , on the Rio Mulatos-Potosí line, Bolivia, and La Galera station at , in Peru, being the next highest). The Qingzang Railway project involved more than 20,000 workers and over 6,000 pieces of industrial equipment, and is one of China's major accomplishments of the 21st century.
Bombardier Transportation built 361 high-altitude passenger carriages with special enriched-oxygen and UV-protection systems, delivered between December 2005 and May 2006. Fifty-three are luxury sleeper carriages for tourist services.Bombardier (25 February 2005). Bombardier "Awarded A Contract For High Altitude Passenger Rail Cars In Tibet". Retrieved 25 August 2005.
The construction of the railway was part of the China Western Development strategy, an attempt to develop the western provinces of China, which are much less developed than eastern China. The railway will be extended to Zhangmu via Shigatse () to the west, and Dali via Nyingchi () to the east. A further extension is planned to link Shigatse with Yadong near the China-India borderExtension plans. Retrieved 28 June 2006. (Map). The railway is considered one of the greatest feats in modern Chinese history by the government, and as a result, is often mentioned on regular TV programs. Chinese-Tibetan folk singer Han Hong has a song called Tianlu (Road to Heaven; 天路) praising the Qingzang Railway.
Completed extensions
On 17 August 2008, a railway spokesman confirmed plans to add six more rail lines connecting to the Qinghai–Tibet railway, including from Lhasa to Nyingchi and from Lhasa to Shigatse, both in the Tibet Autonomous Region. Three lines will originate from Golmud in Qinghai province and run to Chengdu in Sichuan province, Dunhuang in Gansu province, and Korla of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. The sixth will link Xining, the capital of Qinghai, with Zhangye in Gansu. The six lines are expected to be in operation before 2020. Construction work of the Lhasa–Shigatse extension began on 26 September 2010; it was opened in August 2014.
The construction of Dunhuang–Golmud railway began in December 2012 and finished on 18 December 2019. This new railway extends the existed Yinmaxia station on the Qinghai–Tibet Railway to Dunhuang, Gansu, establishing a direct connection between Xinjiang and Tibet.
Addition of capacity and electrification
Given that the Sichuan-Tibet railway is expected to be completed relatively later with less capacity, the Qinghai–Tibet railway is expected to add cargo capacity to fulfill the demand of material transportation. 13 stations along the Qinghai–Tibet railway have received extensions of sidings or passing loops, or these were built from scratch. This will allow the daily train received from Lhasa Railway station to expand from 6 to 12–14. An electrification feasibility study is also in progress.
Connection to Nepal
In a meeting between Chinese and Nepalese officials on 25 April 2008, the Chinese delegation announced the intention to extend the Qingzang railway originally to Zhangmu (Nepali: Khasa) on the Nepalese border. Nepal had requested that the railway be extended to enable trade and tourism between the two nations. The section Lhasa-Shigatse opened in August 2014. In June 2018, China and Nepal signed a series of agreements including the construction of Shigatse-Kathmandu railway during Nepali prime minister Oli's visit to China.
China plans to extend this railway up to Lake Paiku/Gyirong, which is around 60 km from the Rasuwa border crossing. Construction of the railway from Shigatse to Gyirong is expected to start in 2025. The final part of the whole infrastructure will be the Gyirong-Kathmandu railway.
Route
Within the Golmud to Lhasa section of the line there are 45 stations, 38 of which are unstaffed and monitored by the control center in Xining. Thirteen more stations are planned.
The New Guanjiao Tunnel is the longest tunnel between Xining and Golmud, and the Yangbajing tunnel is the longest tunnel between Golmud and Lhasa. More than , over 80% of the Golmud–Lhasa section, is at an elevation of more than . There are 675 bridges, totalling ; about of track is laid on permafrost.
Existing stations At above sea level Tanggula railway station is the highest railway station in the world . The second through fifth and tenth highest stations (Tanggula North, Tangguala South, Tuoju, Zhajiazangbu and Jiangkedong respectively) are also on this line. English name Chinese name Distance from Xiningin km (mi) Coordinates Altitude Xining 西宁 36.61713°N 101.77822°E2,200 m (7,218 ft) Xining Xiaoqiao 西宁小桥 2,275 m (7,464 ft) Xining West 西宁西 Shuangzhai 双寨 2,285 m (7,497 ft) Zhamalong 扎麻隆 2,340 m (7,677 ft) Shiyazhuang 石崖庄 2,380 m (7,808 ft) Tongkor 湟源 Shenzhong 申中 Bayan 巴燕 Yuejiacun 岳家村 Haiyan 海晏 Huangcaozhuang 黄草庄 Ketu 克土 Qinghai Lake 青海湖 Tol 托勒 Garzê River 甘孜河 Hargai 哈尔盖 Gangcha 刚察 Huangyu 黄玉 Niaodao 鸟岛 Jirmeng 吉尔孟 Jianghe 江河 Tianpeng 天棚 Lumang 鹿芒 Tianjun 天峻 Nanshan 南山 Erlang 二郎 Chahannuo 察汗诺 Gaba 尕巴 Ulan 乌兰 Saishike 赛什克 Keke 柯柯 Chaikai 柴凯 Taoli 陶力 Gahai 尕海 Delingha 德令哈 Denong 德农 Gobi 戈碧 Lianhu 连湖 Quanshuiliang 泉水梁 Pingshuang 平爽 Hangya 航垭 Yinmaxia 饮马峡 Xitieshan 锡铁山 Songrugou 松如沟 Dabusun Qarhan Yushui River 鱼水河 Golmud East 格尔木东 Golmud 格尔木 Nanshankou 南山口 Ganlong 甘隆 Nachitai 纳赤台 Xiaonanchuan 小南川 Yuzhufeng 玉珠峰 Wangkun 望昆 Budongquan 不冻泉 Chumar River Wudaoliang 五道梁 Xiushui River 秀水河 Jiangkedong 江克栋 Riachiqu 日阿尺曲 Wuli 乌丽 Tuotuo River 沱沱河 Kaixinling 开心岭 Tongtianhe 通天河 Tanggang 塘岗 Yanshiping 雁石坪 Bumade 布玛德 Buqiangge 布强格 Tanggula North 唐古拉北 Tanggula 唐古拉 Tanggula South 唐古拉南 Za'gyazangbo 扎加藏布 Tuoju 托居 Amdo 安多 Cuona Lake 措那湖 Liantong River 联通河 Dongqen 底吾玛 Gangxiu 岗秀 Nagqu 那曲 Tuoru 妥如 Sangxiong 桑雄 Gulog 古露 Umathang 乌玛塘 Damxung 当雄 Dhachugo 达琼果 Yangbaling 羊八林 Yangbajing 羊八井 Angga 昂嘎 Maxiang 马乡 Gurong 古荣 Lhasa West 拉萨西 Lhasa 拉萨
Trains and tickets
The trains are specially built for high-elevation environments. The diesel locomotives for cargo were built by CSR Qishuyan (DF8B-9000 Series) and by CNR Erqi Locomotive (DF7G-8000 Series), and the locomotives for passenger transportation were built by GE in Pennsylvania (NJ2), and the passenger carriages are Chinese-made 25T carriages: on train Z21/Z22, between Beijing West and Lhasa, Bombardier Sifang Transportation (BSP) made carriages on the Golmud-Lhasa section in deep green/yellow or deep red/yellow. Signs in the carriages are in Tibetan, Chinese, and English. The operational speed is and over sections laid on permafrost.
The railway from Golmud to Lhasa was completed on 12 October 2005, and it opened to regular trial service on 1 July 2006."China rolls out railway", BBC News.
The locomotives are turbocharged to combat the power-reducing effect of having to run on about half an atmosphere of air due to extreme altitude.
At the beginning, only three trains ran: Beijing–Lhasa (every day), Chengdu/Chongqing–Lhasa (every other day), and Lanzhou/Xining–Lhasa. Shanghai/Guangzhou–Lhasa services were added in October 2006. In July 2010, the Shanghai–Lhasa service became daily, and a daily service between Xining and Lhasa was added, but the service was then suspended for the winter season.
Since October 2006, five pairs of passenger trains run between Golmud and Lhasa, and one more pair between Xining and Golmud. The line has a capacity of eight pairs of passenger trains.
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.
A Passenger Health Registration Card is required to take the train between Golmud and Lhasa. The card can be obtained when purchasing the ticket. Passengers must read the health notice for high-elevation travel and sign the agreement on the card to take the train. On 28 August 2006, a 75-year-old Hong Kong man was reported to be the first passenger to die on the train, after he had suffered heart problems in Lhasa but insisted on travelling to Xining.
Engineering challenges
There 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. The heat from the trains passing above is able to melt the permafrost even with a small change in temperature. The main engineering challenge, aside from oxygen shortages, is the weakness of the permafrost. For areas of permafrost that are not very fragile, an embankment of large rocks is sufficient. Meanwhile, in the most fragile areas, the rail bed must be elevated like a bridge. The engineers dealt with this problem in the areas of weakest permafrost by building elevated tracks with pile-driven foundations sunk deep into the ground.David Wolman, "Train to the Roof of the World", Wired, Vol. 14, No. 7 (July 2006). Similar to the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System, portions of the track are also passively cooled with ammonia-based heat exchangers.
Due to climate change, temperatures in the Tibetan Plateau may be considered to increase by an estimated two to three degrees Celsius. This change is sufficient to melt the permafrost and thereby affect the integrity of the entire system. The effects of climate change on the railway have yet to be seen.