Trains to Tibet

From July 1st visitors flying into China will be able to take a sightseeing trip to Tibet by train.

A brand new rail service running between the eastern province of Qinghai and Tibet has already attracted large numbers of interested travellers for the inaugural journey on July 1st, according to the People's Daily Online.

There will be six lines connecting the high-altitude Tibetan route with various Chinese cities, including Beijing, creating ease of travel of those flying into the nation's capital.

Ma Baocheng, deputy general manager of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway Company, said: "With the trial operation of passenger trains, tourists will find it more convenient to travel to Tibet, since the railway is comparatively low-cost and safer than other transport means."

The train will provide extra oxygen for the high altitude sections of the journey, which will be passed into the carriages through an air-conditioning-style system, along with oxygen masks for passengers who feel ill.

The route, which will run to the Tibetan capital Lhasa, is the longest and highest plateau railway in the world.

According to the BBC, the Tibetan people have mixed feelings about the arrival of the railway, with some looking forward to easier trading and transportation of goods, while others fear further disintegration of their culture by the Chinese.

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