Qinghai Tibet Railway Facts

Qinghai Tibet Railway Facts and Records - Learn about the Highest Railway in the World

China has rewritten the world's history of railway construction with its completion of the world's highest railway, the Qinghai-Tibet Railway, on the roof of the world. After reading the following key facts of Qinghai-Tibet Railway, nobody will be unconvinced that this railway is worthy of its name as a man-made world wonder.
 
The FIRST Railway to Tibet

The Qinghai-Tibet Railway is the first railroad to Tibet, linking Tibet with mainland China and ending Tibet’s history without rail.

The World’s HIGHEST Railway

960 kilometers of this railway lie at 4,000 meters above sea level, and its highest point is 5,072 meters, at least 200 meters higher than the former world’s highest railway, the Peruvian railway in the Andes.

The World's LONGEST Plateau Railroad

The total length of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway is 1,956 kilometers from Xining to Lhasa. The Golmud-Lhasa section zigzags 1,142 kilometers across the Kunlun and Tanggula mountain ranges.

The World's LONGEST Track on Frozen Earth

550 kilometers of the railway is built on frozen earth, the longest in any of the plateau railways on Earth.

Tanggula Railway Station located at 5,068 meters above sea level is noted as the highest train station on Earth.

The World’s HIGHEST Railway Tunnel

The Fenghuoshan Tunnel of Qinghai-Tibet Railway built at 4,905 meters above sea level, is the most elevated on frozen earth in the world.

The World's LONGEST Plateau Tunnel

The Kunlun Mountain Tunnel with a total length of 1,686 meters is the world's longest plateau tunnel built on frozen earth.

The World's LONGEST Plateau Railway Bridge

With a total length of 11.7 kilometers, the Qingshui River Bridge, at an altitude of 4500 meters in the Hoh Xil unpopulated area, is noted as the longest plateau railway bridge in the world.

The World’s FASTEST Train on Frozen Earth

Upon its completion, the maximum speed of the trains to Tibet is designed to reach 100 kilometers per hour in frozen earth areas, and 120 kilometers per hour on non-frozen earth.

NO Worker Died of Altitude Sickness

Around 100,000 engineers and construction workers were involved in theconstruction of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway, and 10% of them were from local ethnic groups. None of the workers died of altitude sickness during the construction.

Qinghai Tibet Railway’s Top 9 Remarkable World Records

With extraordinary picturesque view along the route, Qinghai Tibet Railway is most impressive for the astonishing engineering reputation in China and overseas, namely, the following famous 9 world records.