Chengdu to Lhasa Train

Chengdu Lhasa Trains - Route, Schedule, Fares, Permit, Ticket Booking 2020/2021

The Chengdu to Lhasa train is one of the most popular travel routes along the famous Qinghai-Tibet Railway, connecting Lhasa and the hometown of giant pandas. This railway line crosses 5 provinces, although the linear distance is around 1,250km, the rail travel covers a total length of 3,360km, which is a big detour.

Currently, there is only one pair of non-bullet trains, Z322/Z324, running from Chengdu to Lhasa/ from lhasa to Chengdu with the duration of 36/36.5 hours.

Chengdu, the hometown of Giant Pandas, the capital of Sichuan province in southwest China, is famous for its relaxing lifestyle, manages one train to Tibet every other day. Chengdu is a very popular gateway city of taking train to Tibet.

*Note:The actual arrival and departure time of train, please refer to the information on your ticket, or consult your travel consultant.

About ticket price:

The ticket prices above are the net price. In reality, as traveling in Tibet is so popular that the actual ticket demand far exceeds the supply, in-bound and out-bound tourists have to pay more than the net price to buy tickets. The actual price is subject to the market fluctuation. In some cases, the actual price could be double than the net price. Despite the uncertainty and difficulty in purchasing train tickets, Travel Tibet China would manage to book tickets at a reasonable price ( usually 20 percent lower than the market price) and promise to offer free service for it. If tourists only want to buy train tickets via Travel Tibet China without intending to travel to Tibet, Travel Tibet China will have to charge a small amount of service fee.

Daily Schedule of Chengdu to Lhasa Train (2020 & 2021)

Chengdu to Lhasa Train Z322 Timetable

The timetable of Z322 Chengdu to Lhasa train in 2020

Train from Chengdu to Lhasa departs not daily, but every other day. Below is Chengdu to Lhasa Train Departure Frequency in 2020:

Tips:

To be able to board the Shanghai-Lhasa train, foreign tourists have to show your passport, Tibet Travel Permit, and train ticket to the train inspector. If tourists want to travel in Tibet, you need to find a licensed and trustworthy travel agency to apply for the Tibet Travel Permit.
For detailed introduction of how to apply for Tibet Travel Permit.
Where to recharge your mobile phones and electronic devices?
The powerplugfor chargers are located in the corridors OR under your table inthe cabin with the 4 soft sleepers (in between the 2 lower bunks).

Can touristshave shower in the train?

Unfortunately, there is no shower room in the train.Dobring some wet wipesin stores anda smalltowel, and small but equally important thing:toilet/tissue paper.
Is it possible to swap ticket with other people to stay with friends or family inthe same cabin?
Yes. It is acceptable.You may ask conductor to swaptickets with other passengers to stay with your family or friends.

Is smoking allowed in the cabin?

Smoking is strictly forbidden in the trainas thetrain is tightly sealed and pressurized and oxygen is pumped into the carriagewhen the train ascends to extreme altitude. It would be devastating if thetrain caught fire.

Is it necessary to carry Tibet Travel Permit all the time?

Make sure you have your passport, Tibet Travel Permit andticket with youas you could be checked many times during the longjourney.

It is advisable to havemany copies of Tibet Travel Permit.

How can we minimize the effect of altitude sickness?

The effect of altitude sickness onpassengers varies. Yet, to minimize or ease the impact of altitude sickness,one mayprepare somealtitude sickness tabletsbefore boarding the train and take some whenthe train climbs to plateau. There is no need to worry too much thealtitude sickness, the train is built withoxygen suppley system. It is easy to use.

Which Seat Class to should I take, Soft Sleeper, Hard Sleeper or Hard Seat?

As a matter of experience, we strongly recommend travelers choose the Soft Sleeper instead of the Hard Sleeper or Hard Seat to have a safer and more comfortable journey. After all, it’s a journey over 40 hours and you need to stay two nights on the train.

Comparison between Soft Sleeper and Hard Sleeper

Notice: Since there are usually about 64 Soft Sleepers on each train to Tibet, so you’d better confirm your trip and book the train tickets as early as possible. Currently, passengers can book the train ticket 30 days in advance.

Why Chengdu Lhasa Train is recommended?

1. With a developed transportation network, Chengdu is well-linked with many international cities and all main cities in China. You can travel to Chengdu conveniently.

2. Honored as the Hometown of Giant Panda and Land of Abundance, Chengdu has attracted lots of tourists. Before traveling to Tibet, you can take a short stop to visit the adorable pandas as well as experience the slow-paced life in Chengdu.

3. Chengdu is the departure station of Z322, and it’s much easier to book a train ticket and get the berth or seat you want.

Note: Sichuan-Tibet Railway (a bit more than 1,800 km) is under construction and predicted to operate in 2025, which will cut down traveling time between Chengdu and Lhasa to nearly 13 hours.

Facilities on Chengdu Lhasa Train – Life on the Train

Altitude Change of Chengdu to Lhasa Train

Chengdu to Lhasa Railway, measuring 3,070 km, starts from Chengdu(480m) via Xining (2,275m) to Lhasa (3,650m). This railway with the highest altitude around the world reaches its highest point at Tanggula Pass (5,072m) and the entire railway line is built over 4500m. It is known that high altitude may trigger physical discomforts such as headache, dizziness and other altitude sickness symptoms. Yet, this specially-built train is equipped with oxygen supply system that will automatically release oxygen into the carriage to minimize altitude sickness when reaches Golmud (2,829m).

Oxygen Supply and Altitude Sickness on the Chengdu to Lhasa train

Sometimes called “mountain sickness”, altitude sickness is a group of symptoms that can strike if you walk or climb to a higher altitude too quickly. Characterized by symptoms such as headache, dizziness, fatigue, nausea, altitude sickness is the biggest concern for traveling to Tibet.

Air-conditioning alone is not sufficient to make a cozy environment on the train to Tibet. The oxygen supply is the key element to ensure passengers' comfort and safety. There are two oxygen-supply systems on each train. One is used for increasing the oxygen level in the train, by temperature and air pressure controlling systems, when the train enters into the plateau zone. The other is directly used by passengers through an independent port. There are oxygen supply tubes and masks in each cabin for emergencies. Private oxygen masks are provided to every passenger, whatever ticket they have. In sleeping berth cars, you can find outlets on the wall beside the windows, while in seat cars, you can find outlets under your seat.

What You Can See along the Chengdu Lhasa Train

Chengdu to Lhasa

As the train departs from Chengdu Railway Station, you can see the natural view of Sichuan, from plain Chengdu to the mountainous Guangyuan. When you get close to Xining in the afternoon of the second day, the most beautiful scenery of high plateau begins to come into your eyes. At first, you can see a large area of crops. Then the vegetation and household become less and less while the altitude becomes higher and higher. You will pass through the famous Golden Silver Beach and enjoy a part of the amazing landscape of Qinghai Lake. If you travel in July and August, you won’t miss a large field of rape flowers. Leaving Qinghaihu pasture, you will see the gobi view, but cropland appears soon before you get to Delingha. Then there come many salty lakes, like Keke Salt Lake, Gahai Lake and so on. Traveling from Delingha, you will witness one of the most magical sight - Thousands of Zhang Salt Bridge with Dabsun Lake and Hobson Lake on its two sides. When you wake up on the third day, you won’t be far from Lhasa.

Lanzhou

Lanzhou is the first major city along the Yellow River, which has been a key garrison town since ancient times. All trains between Chengdu and Lhasa will take a stop about 17 minutes at Lanzhou Railway Station in the daytime. Lanzhou Hand-pulled Noodles is famous among China, and you can have a try if time permits.

Xining

Xining is also an ancient military garrison and trading center in ancient times. Now it attracts many tourists with the beautiful Qinghai Lake – Flowers’ Ocean, Birds’ Paradise, and Cyclists’ Heaven. On your trip, you will see part of Qinghai Lake. There is a stop at Xining Railway Station for about 20 minutes, which is enough for you to walk around.

Golmud

As you get close to Golmud, you begin to feast on snow-capped mountains, bright glaciers, and spectacular lakes. When you get to Golmud from Chengdu at 19:24, you are supposed to see the Tibetan antelopes. The trains between Chengdu and Lhasa will make a stop at Golmud for 25 minutes.

How to Book and Get Tibet Train Tickets?

International travelers can’t enter in Tibet as backpackers and need the help of travel agency to apply for Tibet Travel Permit in advance. You do not need the permit to book the tickets but you do need it to collect the ticket and board the train.

1. How to Book Tibet Train Ticket?

Book train ticket with us (highly recommended)

To individual tourists, the best solution is to contact a reliable travel agency and book the Chengdu-Lhasa train ticket at least one month in advance. Tibet Vista can provide such timely tickets booking service, and also offer “Train Ticket + Tibet Tour” packages. Send a detailed booking inquiry to Tibet Vista

Book at 12306.cn or buy ticket at train station

Neither method is convenient for international travelers. The 12306.cn has no English version and the online payment is limited to a bank account in mainland China. The staff at the train station can’t speak English. For popular routes such as Chengdu to Lhasa train, during the peak season and even the off season of Tibet tourism, it is difficult for foreign tourists to book train tickets because they get sold out very quickly.

2. How to Get the Tibet Train Ticket?

In China, you need the paper train tickets to get into your train. If you book train tickets with us, you have two ways to get your paper tickets:
1. We deliver the paper tickets to your hotel or address in China (Recommended)
2. Collect them at the railway station

If you choose the delivery service, it is advisable to inform us 4 business days before departure. If you choose to collect them at the railway station, make sure to bring the confirmation number of train tickets, your Tibet Travel Permit as well as your valid and original passport. The confirmation number will be sent to you along with related train information once the tickets are confirmed, present it and the mentioned documents to the staff behind ticket windows to get paper tickets for free.

Chengdu Railway Station operates 24/7, but usually there are only a few ticket windows available after 11 p.m. Considering the long queues in front of the ticket window and the language barrier, it is advisable to arrive at the train station at least 2 hours before departure if you collect tickets on the same day.

Notice: Tibet Travel Permit is needed for collecting the Tibet train ticket.

About Chengdu to Lhasa Train FAQs:

Q1. How to Get Help on the Train?

Some of the staff on the train speak English and they are easy-approaching and hospitable to foreign tourists. If one runs into any trouble, you may ask the head of conductor for help. Most of the passengers may have symptoms of altitude sickness (such as headache, fatigue, difficult sleeping, lack of appetite, etc.) as the train reaches Qinghai-Tibet plateau. Now, you may switch on the oxygen outlet to inhale oxygen to ease the discomfort. If the symptom gets worse, you may find the conductor for help and the doctor on the train will come and give you timely treatment.

Q2. How can we minimize the effect of altitude sickness?

The effect of altitude sickness on passengers varies. Yet, to minimize or ease the impact of altitude sickness, one may prepare some altitude sickness tablets before boarding the train and take some when the train climbs to plateau. There is no need to worry too much the altitude sickness, the train is built with oxygen supply system which is easy to use.

Q3. Is smoking allowed in the cabin?

Smoking is strictly forbidden in the train as the train is tightly sealed and pressurized and oxygen is pumped into the carriage when the train ascends to extreme altitude.It would be devastating if the train caught fire.