Chengdu–Lhasa trains connect the cities of Chengdu and Lhasa, passing through five provinces. The rail route is 3,360 kilometers (2,088 miles) in length with a journey time of about 36 hours.
There is no high-speed railway from Chengdu 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 Chengdu and Lhasa per day. The terminals of the Chengdu–Lhasa railway route are Chengdu Railway Station and Lhasa Railway Station.
|
Station |
Arrival |
Departure |
Stop (mins.) |
Day |
|
Chengdu |
-- |
21:37 |
-- |
Day 1 |
|
Guangyuan |
02:23 |
02:40 |
17m |
Day 2 |
|
Lanzhou |
09:10 |
09:26 |
16m |
Day 2 |
|
Xining |
12:00 |
12:20 |
15m |
Day 2 |
|
Delingha |
16:35 |
16:37 |
2m |
Day 2 |
|
Golmud |
19:17 |
19:42 |
25m |
Day 2 |
|
Nagqu |
05:59 |
06:05 |
6m |
Day 3 |
|
Lhasa |
09:56 |
-- |
-- |
Day 3 |
|
Station |
Arrival |
Departure |
Stop (mins.) |
Day |
|
Lhasa |
-- |
18:30 |
-- |
Day 1 |
|
Nagqu |
21:56 |
22:02 |
6m |
Day 1 |
|
Golmud |
08:55 |
09:20 |
25m |
Day 2 |
|
Delingha |
11:56 |
12:00 |
4m |
Day 2 |
|
Xining |
16:15 |
16:50 |
35m |
Day 2 |
|
Lanzhou |
19:30 |
19:52 |
22m |
Day 2 |
|
Guangyuan |
01:40 |
01:58 |
18m |
Day 3 |
|
Chengdu |
06:26 |
-- |
-- |
Day 3 |
|
Hard Seat |
Hard Sleeper |
Soft Sleeper |
|
US$48 (308 CNY) |
US$108 (693 CNY) |
US$171 (1,097 CNY) |
The schedules and prices are just for reference. Click here for up-to-date 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.
Chengdu Railway Station and Lhasa Railway Station are the terminal stations for the Chengdu–Lhasa railway route. Here we cover how to get to and use these two stations.
Chengdu Railway Station is referred to as the North Railway Station. It is at No. 1, Zhandong Road, Jinniu District, Chengdu (成都市金牛区站东路1号). It is an old train station serving most normal railways to Chengdu. It’s about 5 km (3 miles) away from the city center.
You can take subway line 1 to get to Chengdu Railway Station. You will get off at the North Railway Station stop. You can get out from exit A to the entrance of the station, or get out from exit D to the ticket office.
If you take a taxi (show the driver the Chinese), you will get off in front of the station. The entrance is in the center of the station.
Buses 2, 9, 16, 17, 27, 34, 36, 50, 54, 55, 65, 83, 86, 108, 123, 298, K1, K2 go to Chengdu Railway Station. Or you can take Airport Shuttle Bus 2 from Chengdu Shuangliu Airport.
There are three floors in Chengdu Railway Station: two above ground and one underground.
The first floor: a waiting room, check point, carrying luggage service waiting room, toilet, drinking water, lounge waiting room, soft sleeper waiting room
The second floor: two waiting rooms, check point, toilet, drinking water, shops, smoking room
The underground floor is exit hall.
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 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.
Sleeper trains between China and Vietman connect Beijing/Nanning and Gia Lam, Hanoi.
Two international trains running between China and Russia including Trans-Mongolian Railway.
International train tickets for the Trans-Siberian can be bought in China, Mongolia and Russia.
