Beijing–Lhasa trains connect the cities of Beijing and Lhasa, passing through eight provinces. The rail route is 3,735 kilometers (2,321 miles) in length with a journey time of about 40 hours.
There is no high-speed railway from Beijing to Lhasa, specifically the Xining–Lhasa part. Due to the influence of permafrost, the top speed on this part of the railway has been lowered to 100kph (62mph) from 120kph (75mph).
Only one pair of trains runs directly between Beijing and Lhasa per day. The terminals of the Beijing–Lhasa railway route are Beijing West Railway Station and Lhasa Railway Station.
|
Station |
Arrival |
Departure |
Stop (mins.) |
Day |
|
Beijing Xi (West) |
-- |
19:53 |
-- |
Day 1 |
|
Shijiazhuang Bei (North) |
22:30 |
22:36 |
4m |
Day 1 |
|
Taiyuan |
00:18 |
00:26 |
6m |
Day 2 |
|
Zhongwei |
06:56 |
07:16 |
15m |
Day 2 |
|
Lanzhou |
12:19 |
12:31 |
17m |
Day 2 |
|
Xining |
14:59 |
15:24 |
23m |
Day 2 |
|
Delingha |
19:17 |
19:21 |
2m |
Day 2 |
|
Golmud |
21:33 |
21:58 |
25m |
Day 2 |
|
Nagqu |
07:44 |
07:50 |
6m |
Day 3 |
|
Lhasa |
11:22 |
-- |
-- |
Day 3 |
|
Station |
Arrival |
Departure |
Stop (mins.) |
Day |
|
Lhasa |
-- |
15:50 |
-- |
Day 1 |
|
Nagqu |
19:24 |
19:30 |
8m |
Day 1 |
|
Golmud |
06:19 |
06:34 |
25m |
Day 2 |
|
Delingha |
08:47 |
08:51 |
2m |
Day 2 |
|
Xining |
13:09 |
13:34 |
20m |
Day 2 |
|
Lanzhou |
16:13 |
16:34 |
15m |
Day 2 |
|
Zhongwei |
21:31 |
21:37 |
6m |
Day 2 |
|
Taiyuan |
03:50 |
03:59 |
6m |
Day 3 |
|
Shijiazhuang Bei (North) |
05:47 |
05:55 |
10m |
Day 3 |
|
Beijing Xi (West) |
08:28 |
-- |
-- |
Day 3 |
|
Hard Seat |
Hard Sleeper |
Soft Sleeper |
|
US$57 (370 CNY) |
US$123 (799 CNY) |
US$195 (1,266 CNY) |
The schedules and prices are just for reference. Click here for up-to-date Beijing–Lhasa train schedules and prices.
Each Hard Seat car has 118 seats comprised of three-seat benches and two-seat benches. Each row has a three-seat bench and a two-seat bench on either side of the aisle. Every set of two rows is arranged face-to-face. Half the seats face the opposite direction to the way the train is going. The seats are “hard” (not well-padded) and the seatback is not adjustable.
Passengers holding standing tickets stand in the Hard Seat cars.
Hard Sleeper cars have several compartments, each with six bunks (two triple bunk rows with a small table and gap between), and an aisle on one side. Hard sleeper compartments have an open-plan design. There is no door or curtain for privacy. The prices for the lower/middle/upper bunks are not the same — they increase lightly in price with height: lower>middle>upper.
A hard sleeper bunk is 60 cm (2’) in width and 180 cm (6’) in length. The bunk’s heights are 90 cm (3’), 65 cm (2’2”), and 65 cm for the lower, middle, and upper bunks respectively. Passengers on middle and upper bunks can’t sit up straight. During the daytime, passengers will often sit on the lower bunks, using them as public seats.
Soft Sleeper cars consist of private compartments with four bunks — two upper bunks and two lower bunks with a larger table and gap between. There are eight compartments in each soft sleeper car. Each compartment has a door that can be locked from the inside to provide a private and quiet environment.
The vertical space for both soft sleeper bunks is spacious enough for passengers to sit up. Each bunk is 75 cm (2’6”) in width and 190 cm (6’4”) in length. The distance between the two lower bunks is about 50 cm. The lower bunk is 90 cm (3’) and the upper bunk is 80 cm (2’8”) in height. The lower bunk is slightly more expensive than the upper bunk.
Beijing West Station and Lhasa Railway Station are the terminal stations for the Beijing–Lhasa railway route. Here we cover how to get to and use these two stations.
Beijing West Railway Station (北京西站) is at 118 East Lianhuachi Road, Fengtai District, Beijing. It is one of Beijing’s main train stations serving both high-speed and regular trains. It is about 8 kilometers (5 miles) from the Forbidden City and 36 kilometers (22 miles) from Beijing Capital International Airport.
You can take subway lines 7 and 9 to get to Beijing West Railway Station. You will get off on the basement level (-1F), then you should take the escalators to floor 2 (2F) where the waiting rooms are.
If you take a taxi (show the driver the Chinese), you will get off at the north or south square of the station. Enter the building and then take the escalators to the waiting room.
Buses 3, 9, 21, 40, and 50 go to Beijing West Station.
Beijing West Railway Station has two access squares: North Square (in front, most popular) and South Square (behind, less-used). They are connected by underground passages of up to 500 meters.
The second floor (F2) has waiting rooms, stores, restaurants, a left-luggage office, a luggage porter service, a medical center, and a ticket office selling group tickets and tickets to Hong Kong. The entrances of South Square and North Square are both equipped with escalators.
The first floor (F1) has the entrances (with security/ticket checks) and exits, a train ticket office, a luggage consignment office, a luggage claim office, a joint Entry-Exit Inspection Hall, and platforms.
Basement 1 (-1F) has subway transfer halls, taxi stands, exits to squares
Basement 2 (-2F) has a subway ticket office, exits to squares, subway lines, taxi stands, bus station exit, and luggage claim
Lhasa Railway Station (拉萨站)is in Liuwu New Area in southwest Lhasa, at an altitude of 3,641 meters (11,945 feet). It is 8 kilometers (5 miles) southwest of downtown Lhasa and the Potala Palace. It’s the terminal of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway and the biggest train station in Tibet.
By taxi (show the Chinese), it takes 15–20 minutes from Lhasa city center to Lhasa Railway Station. You can take the Liuwu Long-Distance Bus Station bus, or bus 1, 13, 14, or 30 to the station.
There are three floors in Lhasa Railway Station: two above ground and one underground.
The first floor: On the west side of the first floor are ordinary waiting halls and the ticket hall. There are three waiting rooms in the southeast corner: one soft seat waiting hall and two VIP waiting halls.
The second floor: On the south of this floor are ordinary waiting halls and a soft seat waiting hall. There is a big shopping area on the northeast side.
The underground floor is for arrival passengers.
In front of the station, there is a big square. Liuwu Long-Distance Bus Station is on the west side of the square. The City Bus Station is on the east side of the square.
The flight duration is only 4½ hours, or 6½ hours if you have a stopover in Xining, Xi'an, or Chengdu. The train journey is about 40 hours. For travelers who are on a tight schedule, a flight would be the better option, though more expensive. Usually, Lhasa airfares don’t include any discounts.
By train, you can enjoy the beautiful scenery along the Tibet Railway, which you wouldn’t experience by plane. Train travel will probably not help you get used to the high altitude though, as supplemental oxygen is provided in the carriages. Try to rest well on the train to reduce the risk of suffering from altitude sickness when arriving in Lhasa.
Another option is a flight to Xining from Beijing (about 4 hours) followed by the Xining–Lhasa leg on the Qinghai-Tibet Railway (over 21 hours).See more on that below…
The peak season for travel to Tibet is from May to October, and train tickets are always in great demand during this time. Lhasa tickets are hoarded by government agencies and scalpers and resold at high profits. It is hard to get a direct Beijing–Lhasa train ticket in the peak season.
If you really want to take a train to Tibet, transferring at Xining Railway Station is a good option because there are five trains to/from Xining to Lhasa each day.
Kindly note that foreigners who want to visit Tibet need to obtain a Tibet Entry Permit in advance. These permits are issued by the Tibet Tourism Bureau (TTB)to approved China travel agencies (like us). Also, foreign travelers in Tibet must be accompanied by an approved travel agency guide. Contact us for Tibet permits, train tickets, and any other China travel needs.
International passengers need to show the original permits before boarding their flights. For trains, international passengers need to show a copy of the permits to board Tibet trains.
High-speed trains are a highly popular mode of transportation for the Beijing to Shanghai route.
Over 200 bullet trains operate on this route, with the shortest duration of 29 minutes.
Both high-speed trains and sleeper overnight trains are available on this route. There are 12 pairs of high-speed trains between these two cities
