The direct passenger train connecting Beijing and Lhasa first
operated on July 1, 2006. The train journey takes 48 h from Beijing
to Lhasa, via Qinghai. The Qinghai–Tibet section of the railway is
1142 km long, stretching across the Tibetan Plateau from Golmud of
Qinghai to Lhasa of Tibet. As the world’s highest railway, around
960 km or over 80% of the Qinghai–Tibet section are more than
4000 m above sea level, and over half the length of the railway is
laid on permafrost. In addition to Beijing, passenger train services
are available to Lhasa from several major cities in China, such as
Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Chongqing, Lanzhou and Xining.