Oct 2006 - A 52 hr high altitude rail adventure. on the Qinghai -Tibet Railway, the highest in the world, climbing from 2,829m above sea level at Golmud (Geermu) to 3,641m at Lhasa, much of it built on permafrost. Its highest point is in the Tanggula Pass, at 16,640 feet (just over 5,000m) above sea level. Because of the lack of oxygen at that altitude, all passenger coaches have extra oxygen pumped into them, and oxygen is available to passengers through tubes if they have problems. Before the railway was built into Tibet, travellers had to take a train as far as Golmud (which the railway reached in 1984) followed by a gruelling 48 hour bus journey to Lhasa. Now there are direct air-conditioned trains from Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou & Xian to Lhasa. Qinghai -Beijing to Tibet Railway, Beijing to Lhasa Oct 2006

Beijing West Train Station... the air is always bad! Qinghai -Beijing to Tibet Railway, Beijing to Lhasa Oct 2006

Beijing West Train Stationn Qinghai -Beijing to Tibet Railway, Beijing to Lhasa Oct 2006

Beijing West Train Station, migrants looking for work Qinghai -Beijing to Tibet Railway, Beijing to Lhasa Oct 2006

Beijing West Train Station Qinghai -Beijing to Tibet Railway, Beijing to Lhasa Oct 2006

Beijing West Train Station sign Qinghai -Beijing to Tibet Railway, Beijing to Lhasa Oct 2006

Beijing(West) train departures and arrivals board Qinghai -Beijing to Tibet Railway, Beijing to Lhasa Oct 2006

Beijing West Train Station Qinghai -Beijing to Tibet Railway, Beijing to Lhasa Oct 2006

Beijing West Train Station, ready to go food Qinghai -Beijing to Tibet Railway, Beijing to Lhasa Oct 2006

Beijing West Train Station Qinghai -Beijing to Tibet Railway, Beijing to Lhasa Oct 2006

Route via Lanzhou > Golmud (Geermu) > Magqu > Lhasa Qinghai -Beijing to Tibet Railway, Beijing to Lhasa Oct 2006

friendly helper Qinghai -Beijing to Tibet Railway, Beijing to Lhasa Oct 2006

Beijing (West) station room waiting for T27, departs daily at 21:30hrs Qinghai -Beijing to Tibet Railway, Beijing to Lhasa Oct 2006

Beijing West Train Station Qinghai -Beijing to Tibet Railway, Beijing to Lhasa Oct 2006

Beijing West Train Station, Qinghai -Beijing to Tibet Railway, Beijing to Lhasa Oct 2006

Qinghai -Beijing to Tibet Railway, Beijing to Lhasa Oct 2006

2006 - Hard Sleepr car (6 bunks per compartment), you can also take the Soft Sleepers, 4 bunks/compartment, more comfey, but you'll really miss out by not being with everyday Chinese and Tibetian travellers and making of good new friends Qinghai -Beijing to Tibet Railway, Beijing to Lhasa Oct 2006

Hard Sleeper car (6 bunks/compartmant) with window seats folded up Qinghai -Beijing to Tibet Railway, Beijing to Lhasa Oct 2006

Coach cars, were brand new from railways opening in June 2006, Qinghai -Beijing to Tibet Railway, Beijing to Lhasa Oct 2006

the one dinning car, where we spent most of the days. They wanted you to leave when the crew cam to eat but they would leave you alone if you didn't move on. Qinghai -Beijing to Tibet Railway, Beijing to Lhasa Oct 2006

Train info, Qinghai -Beijing to Tibet Railway, Beijing to Lhasa Oct 2006

Ticket and docs, Qinghai -Beijing to Tibet Railway, Beijing to Lhasa Oct 2006

The conductor collects all the tickets and you Tibet access permit and returns them to you after the train reaches Lhasa Qinghai -Beijing to Tibet Railway, Beijing to Lhasa Oct 2006

collecting your ticket and checking your documents Qinghai -Beijing to Tibet Railway, Beijing to Lhasa Oct 2006