World's highest railway's inaugural service

The inaugural journey from Beijing to the Tibetan capital Lhasa departed at the weekend and on Sunday traversed its highest point on the Tibetan plateau.

Amid high security 870 passengers, a number of which were officials and uniformed police, experienced the unique two-day train service, travelling across the Tangula Pass, which at 5,072 metres (16,640 feet) above sea level makes it the world's highest railway.

The train, which has been fitted out with oxygen pumps to counterbalance the effects of altitude sickness, is a strict no smoking zone at high altitude and a number of security officials were employed to ensure no one lit up on the train's first outing.

At a ceremony on Saturday in the northwest city of Golmud, formerly the end of the train line now the departure point for the new service, President Hu Jintao said: "This is a magnificent feat by the Chinese people, and also a miracle in world railway history."

The service, which has overcome many engineering challenges, also controversially marks the linking of the formerly isolated annex Tibet with the rest of China, which has raised some concerns of environmental damage of increased Chinese colonisation amongst Tibetans.

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