Beijing Lhasa Railway

Seeing China in Style: Luxury train services from Beijing to Lhasa offer tourists the high life

Daniel Allen

Beijing to Lhasa Luxury Train. — All Aboard

As well as the luxury Commune by the Wall residences, Kempinski Hotels will also manage hospitality, activities and off-train tours on a luxury train service set to run later this year between Beijing and the Tibetan capital Lhasa, and between Beijing and the popular northern Yunnan towns of Dali and Lijiang. Tickets for both routes will go on sale in February, 2008.

Each trip from Beijing will take five days and four nights, which is about twice as long as the ordinary trains run by Chinese Railways. The extra time will be used to give passengers the opportunity to sleep while the train is stationary and to ensure that they do not miss some of the best landscapes.

Timings on the Beijing-Lhasa run will also allow for off-train excursions catering for a variety of interests. The return journeys from Lijiang and Lhasa to Beijing will take four days and three nights.

The journey to Lhasa will cost around US$5,000, and three trains will run every eight days. Passengers will be able to get off the train to sightsee at tourist sites such as Shaanxi's provincial capital Xi'an, Qinghai Lake, and the breathtaking Tangula Mountain Pass along the 4,000-kilometer rail route.

Luxury Train Facts

All of the luxury trains will transport 96 passengers in 12 passenger cars, two dining cars and a sightseeing car.

Each passenger car will have four 10-square-meter suite-like rooms featuring a double bed, a living room and bathroom.

Daily Beijing-Lhasa Service

There is presently a daily train from Beijing to Lhasa run by China Railways taking 48 hours to reach its destination. Train T27 departs from Beijing West Station at 21.30.

The route began in July 2006 and presently costs around US$150 for a soft sleeper berth, around US$100 for hard sleeper and half that for hard seat.

The journey includes the world's highest passenger railroad through the Tanggula Pass at an elevation of 5,072m (16,640 feet) and the world's highest rail tunnel at Fenghuoshan at a height of 4,905 meters (16,093 feet).

Oxygen is released in to the carriages at very high altitudes and personal oxygen canisters are also available.

Tickets for the route are popular and advance bookings are recommended.

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