One of our dedicative Staff, Mrs. Catherine wrote this Tibet Train Travel Guide Book according to her 3 years working experience on Tibet Train Tours, It contains almost all questions you may connern before you board the Tibet train, includes train tickets booking, itinerary arrangement, climate, train schedule, service on the train, Food on the train, high altitude sickness...etc.

We CITS believe that it is a must read guide book when you are planning your Tibet Train Tour, because these questions is those our clients had in past 3 years, and CITS collected them to contribute to the newcomers to Tibet.

Index

Train Tickets Booking
 
1. How to book train tickets to Lhasa?
2. Is that easier to purchase train tickets leaving Lhasa than to Lhasa?
3. If I want to stop over in Xi'an for 1 day tour, how can I go through the transfer formality?
4. From which cities I can start Tibet Train Tour.
5. How many train tickets classes are available?
6. Can children get discounted train tickets?
7. Does Train Tickets Office provide discounted price in low season like air company.
8. Can I change ticket class after I get on Tibet Train?
 
Things to Pack
9. What stuff should I pack to Tibet Train.

About High Altitude Sickness
10. Can Train to Tibet help you to release the symptom of altitude sickness? And adapting high altitude step by step?
11. What kind of diseases is dangerous for passengers who take train to Tibet
12. Does Tibet Train supply Oxygen for urgent use?
13. Is there first aid provided when passengers suffered from high altitude sickness or other diseases?

Check in Tibet Train
14. How to check in Tibet Train
15. How Can I check in my luggage when traveling by Tibet Train?

Security of Tibet Train
16. Banned objects on the train
17. Is it safe on the train?

Food on the Train
18. How about meals on the Train?

Service and Facilities on Tibet Train
19. Do attendants on Tibet Train speak English?
20. There their private bath room or sink place on the train?
21. Can I take shower on the train
22. Is there internet access on Tibet Train?
23. Is mobile phone accessible on Tibet Train?
24. Is there any entertainment facilities on the train?
25. Are there electric outlets on the train
26. Is there hot water supply on the train?
27. Is Tibet Train punctual?

Train Tickets Booking>

1. How to book train tickets to Lhasa?          Back to index
Travelers can not book train tickets in internet, because the completely state owned train company never offer an access to book train tickets on line. For travelers, they can only go to train tickets office in person to buy tickets or hand it over to the travel agency. for tourists who live out of China or out of the departure city, hand it over to travel agency is the best choice.

Some travelers would like to do everything in person in order to reduce the service charge, but it always does do work. Though there are hundreds of train agent, which has a small shop to sell train tickets only, you can easy get a tickets through these agent with just 5-10 RMB extra charge in low season when tickets supply is sufficient and demand is much less. When you decide to purchase train tickets by yourself, there are another two factors should be taken into consideration, In China, train tickets are only sold 5-10 days in advance, and only sold in the departure city. That means, you must arrive in this departure city as early as possible to purchase train tickets. For most of the travelers, it seems impossible.

As to the scarce soft sleeping berth train tickets—there is only 48 on each train, to some extent, it is impossible to get it by yourself.

Much easier but more service charge if you hand it over to travel agency who is in charge your whole China tour, or a part of your China Tour. some travel agency like CITS which put Beijing/Chengdu/Shanghai/Xining-Tibet train tour on its website www.tibettravel.org to sell can be definitely trustful to purchase train tickets from these cities to Lhasa. Though it is easy and convenient to get tickets through travel agency, you are always required to pay 10%-30% service charge. Especially for soft sleeping train tickets, the service charge is much higher than a hard sleeping berth.

Travel agency has its stable channel to make reservation of dozens train tickets of tour group as early as 3 month in advance, because train station pay more attention to these group reservation than individual travelers. However, train station only accept reservation but do not issue tickets until 10 days before train departure.

Soft sleeping berth reservations are occasionally cancelled even the reservation has been accepted due to some undisclosed reason when reservation is over 48 soft sleeping berths supply. In this case, train station will give travel agencies accordingly hard sleeping berths as a substitute. For CITS Tibettravel.Org, this kind of case seldom happen. Anyway, a berth for sleeping can be fully guaranteed.

If you are travelers strict at soft sleeping berth, it is better to let the travel agencies know when you book Tibet train tour, and the travel agency will declare this situation to train station. Once soft sleeping berth is missing, fly to Lhasa will be the alternative.

Please notice that no travel agency in China can 100% guarantee the soft sleeping berth train tickets, because the last decision is made by train station. CITS Tibettravel.Org specialized in train tour to Tibet is more capable to get train tickets to Lhasa, We just missed few among hundreds of case in past few years.

2. Is that easier to purchase train tickets leaving Lhasa than to Lhasa?    Back to index

Recent Years, most of travelers prefer taking train coming into Lhasa first and fly out of Lhasa after their Tibet tour ends. Every peak season of Tibet tour, from June to October, Especially during two months summer holiday for students (July and August), the demand of train tickets to Lhasa is much higher than the supply. You can not get one train tickets in train tickets office of railway station no matter how early you have been waiting here in a queue, because travel agencies who operate Tibet Tour will never miss the opportunity to earn money, the train tickets has been reserved couple of weeks in advance and few of them left can be put towards to public.

Compared to the large demand of train ticket to Lhasa, the train tickets leave Lhasa is relatively easier to get, so if you do not want to pay too much as the service charge to travel agency but want to experience the splendid train journey of Qinghai Tibet railway, taking train leave Tibet as your last program of your Tibet tour is quite a wise decision. Only one exception, the week of Shotun Festival and after Shotun Festival, normally mid August or late August, train out of Lhasa is as busy as train to Lhasa. The extremely high level of demand will last about 10 days.

Train tickets Xining-Lhasa is a typical among them.
Xining is actually the first train station of Qinghai-Tibet Railway, it takes only 24 hours to cover Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. A large mount of travelers every year fly to Xining then transfer to take train in order to save a day and a night non sense train journey if they depart from Beijing,Chengdu, Shanghai from where train drives about 48 hours to Lhasa. Compared to other hot train route to Tibet, Xining-Lhasa train is the busiest one in China, it is as hot as even you pay double of the train fare, you can not get one train tickets to Lhasa, the highest bid came to 2000RMB in 2009 for a paper tickets on which 560RMB is clearly printed. This kind of situation start from late June and end at early September, the bid ranges from 1000RMB to 2000RMB, travelers and travel agencies can do nothing about it.

Generally speaking, majority people prefer train to Lhasa than leave Lhasa, so the train tickets leaving Lhasa is relatively easy to get, as CITS Tibettravel.Org, we can 100% guarantee the train tickets leaving Lhasa because of its less demand.

3. If I want to stop over in Xi'an for 1 day tour, how can I go through the transfer formality?     Back to index
If you do want to visit Xian on the way from Beijing to Lhasa, and not want to pay extra service fee to book a new train tickets from Xian to Lhasa(you know,It is very hard and expensive to book a new tickets from Xian to Lhasa in peakseason), transfer your train tickets at Xian train station is a great idea. Here is how to do transfer onto Xian-Lhasa train the next day.
Suppose you get on the train from Beijing to Lhasa at D01, in the evening.
Step 1. you will arrive in Xian train station in the morning of D02, upon you arrive in Xian, you get off the train and go to the tickets office of train station to rebook the train tickets to D03 or D04. it takes around 30 minutes to finish this work. the train station will issue a new train tickets for you without any service charge.
Step 2. Get on the next train you rebook with the same train code and same departure time.
But please notice that, your soft sleeper or hard sleeper berth is not available now, the rebooked tickets is just a boarding pass for you to get the next train, you need to pay extra to the train attendant on the new train to get a new soft sleeper or hard sleeper train tickets. the extra cost is around 200RMB-500RMB per person. but sometimes, the soft sleeper is not available on this new train in peak season.

4. From which cities I can start Tibet Train Tour.    Back to index
From the start train station like Beijing, Shanghai,Chengdu,Xining,Chongqing,Guangzhou to Tibet is the first choice for most travelers, from where, travelers can easy get train tickets.

Other famous tourist cities such as Zhengzhou, Xi’an, Hangzhou etc, which are on the way of train journey to Lhasa, you may hope to start Tibet train journey from those cities, however, Train tickets supply is quite limited in those cities in peak season, generally starts in June and ends in October.
If these passing away cities like Xi’an is a must visit place for you, you may consider to take advice of transfer tickets, please see 8.

5. How many train tickets classes are available?    Back to index
There are three kinds of train tickets available, see A,B and C
A: Seats Tickets: just a seat available to spend 24 hours on the train, most of foreigners do not pick it up.

B: Second Class train berth tickets-- with hundreds of berths supply on each train, 18 compartments in each car, 6 berths in each compartment, they are divided into two button berths, two middle berths and two top berths. Please go to this webpage to have a look. http://www.tibettravel.org/tibettravel/html/200812203945-1.Html

C: First Class Train berth tickets —with just 1 car of 12 compartment on each train, only 48 berths supply in total, 4 berth in each compartment, they are divided into two button berths, two top berths. Please go to this webpage to have a look. http://www.tibettravel.org/tibettravel/html/20081221210-1.Html

6. Can children get discounted train tickets?    Back to index
Children discounted prices are based on the height of passengers
The height of child below 1.1m is free without a berth, sleep with their parent, free, but 1 full priced adult can only take 1 free child.
The height of child taller than 1.1m and shorter than 1.5m, 100-160RMB lower than adult, but has a sleeping berth as adult.
Normally, if you ask for travel agency to purchase train tickets, this discounted price can not be carried out because it is difficult to prove the height of passenger to train tickets office without passenger stand aside. Travel agency always charge train tickets by per berth, or per compartment, if you have kids for free tickets, please state it to travel agency.

7. Does Train Tickets Office provide discounted price in low season like air company.    Back to index
Due to the monopoly and large amount of demand, state-manage railway company never provide discounted price on Tibet Train.

8. Can I change ticket class after I get on Tibet Train?     Back to index
Train tickets class can be upgraded after you get on the train, if there are vacations of the upper class train berths. Please go to the train conductor on soft sleeping berth car to upgrade your tickets, you are required to pay the difference of tickets and small sum of service charge.

It always apply to some passengers who failed to get train berth on the departure city, and upgrade from seats to sleeping berth after check in the train. There are always some vacation of sleeping berths available no matter how busy the train tickets is.

To upgrade the train tickets on the train is a good ideal for some back packers who does not book the train tickets through travel agency in advance.

What to Pack

9. What stuff should I pack to Tibet train.    Back to index
Tibet train company do not provide disposable stuff on the train, you need to pack your own slippers, towel, cup, teeth brush, teeth paste, soap, even tissue paper to the train. Commonly used medications are not provided too. Please pack your own stuff into your bag before get on the train.

About High Altitude Sickness

10. Can Train to Tibet help you to release the symptom of altitude sickness? And adapting high altitude step by step?    Back to index

To some extent, it is a misunderstanding concept, but spread widely. Majority people think it is better to take the train to Tibet because people will get less and less symptom of altitude sickness. How ever, when train going through Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, the air pressure inside train is controlled as it is in low altitude area, more over, the Oxygen is fulfilled the car. Actually, the passengers live in a quite different environment from the actual plateau environment outside; it does not work well to help you to adapt high altitude sickness.

No Matter by which means you are landing Lhasa, you need a period of time, normally 1-2 days to acclimatize, that is why your first two days always put towards to Lhasa city sightseeing. The most common dangerous killer of getting high altitude sickness is catching clod, high blood pressure and over physical exercise like running, jumping, the foremost thing before you go to Tibet is to make sure you are catching cold.

11. What kind of diseases is dangerous for passengers who take train to Tibet    Back to index
According to the sanitarian department and doctors, the passengers can travel to the plateau only after, finishing their physical examination and approved by the doctors. Passengers are not suitably travel to the plateau area where above 3,000 meters when they have one of the following diseases:

Each kind of nature heart disease, apparent heart heat abnormal or the heats are above 100 times per minute, the hypertension II, blood dissease and the brain vein disease.
Chronicity respiratory system disease moderate above blocking lung disease including bronchia tube asthma, bronchiectasis, pulmonary emphysema, activity pulmonary tuberculosis, dust pulmonary tuberculosis etc.

Diabetes out of control, the hysteria, epilepsy and schizophrenia.

All the symptoms including catching the heavy sickness cold, upper respiratory tract infection, the body temperature above 38 C or the body temp is below 38C but the system of the whole body and respiratory is obvious should postpone to enter the plateau area until recovered.

Once diagnosed has contracted the plateau pulmonary oedema, plateau hydrocephalus, a noticeable rise of blood pressure of plateau hypertension sickness, the plateau heart disease and plateau red blood cell increasing.
Highly dangerous pregnant women.

12. Does Tibet Train supply Oxygen?     Back to index
Being warmly considerate on Oxygen supply, Tibet Train offers two sets of Oxygen supply system. One is full cabin Oxygen supply, the other is private Oxygen supply.

When Tibet Train heads its way up to Qinghai-Tibet Plateau Zone, Oxygen begins to emit to the whole cabin by temperature and air pressure controlling system, it mostly release the difficulty of traveling on such a high altitude, like headache, out of breath inside Oxygen filled cabins. The altitude, temperature , driving speed are shown on each cabin as well.

Private Oxygen masks are provided to every passengers whatever tickets you have. In sleeping berth car, you can find Oxygen Suppy tude and mask on each cabin for emergency.

The air pressure inside train is automatically controlled to make you feel as traveling in low altitude zone. More than these conveniences, the glass window of Tibet Train is designed to anti ultraviolet rays.

In a conclusion, Tibet Train is such a train full of caring, known as the best Train exploring on the roof of the word.

13. Is there first aid provided when passengers suffered from high altitude sickness or other diseases?
Back to index
Yes, Tibet Train provide temporary medical service, passengers can get first aid on the train whenever they need.

Check in Tibet Train

14. How to check in Tibet Train    Back to index
The foremost and most important is that please arrive in Train station at most 1.5 hours before train departs.

Tibet Train does not use Real Name Registration System, you can get on a train as long as you have a Train tickets in your hand. You are required to wait in a queue to check in. then to be instructed to the check-in channel that displayed on an electronic board.

Follows is Checking your Tibet Permit and China Visa, normally, all the documents are put on a desk to be taken a photo at a time to record who enter Tibet through railway. A fax copy of a Tibet Permit is acceptable but the government sometimes change their mind to ask for a original one, the travel agency always prefers all the necessary documents for you before you check in.

When you are going through security, besides going through your luggage, sometimes you are required to stand on a small plateform to be gently pat with scanner like security check at airport.

Next step, you will go across a guided way directs to the Train ready to depart, please find your way as it is instructed on train tickets (please see instruction sample below). The train attendant who welcome you at the gate of your cabin will check your Tickets before you get on the train. After train moving, the attendant will go to your berth to take your tickets away and give you a boarding card instead until 1 hour before train arrival. Holding your tickets, the attendant are responsible to remind you where to get off, so please don’t worry to miss your destination even you get off in mid night. Your boarding card will be returned to tickets when you get off.

15. How Can I check in my luggage when traveling by Tibet Train?    Back to index
Different from travelling by air, Tibet Train does not provide luggage check-in service, All the luggage you take requires to be carried on by yourself, to put them on top luggage shelf, or under button berth. There are some restrictions for carry-on luggage

Child (refers to children whose height is shorter than 1.3m): 10kg luggage for each
Adult (common passenger): 20kg

The width, height, length of one piece of luggage is limited within 160cm; the length of luggage in shape of pole is limited within 200cm.
The weight of wheel chair of the disable does not included in luggage limitation.

Security of Tibet Train

16. Banned objects on the train    Back to index
1. Objects forbidden by the nation or confined to transit;
2. Dangerous goods defined by the law, regulation or rules, ammunition or unidentifiable chemicals;
3. Animals or any objects impeding public health including extremely odorous objects;
4. Objects able to destroy or contaminate the train;
5. The norm or weight beyond item 51 of this regulation.

17. Is it safe on the train?     Back to index
It is relatively safe on the train, especially sleeping berth car, because the car is close at night, anybody who has no boarding card is refused to enter the cabin.

Among different class of cars, hard seats car of 118 passengers inside, second class sleeping berth with 108 passengers in side(18 compartment in each car, 6 persons share a compartment, no private door for each compartment), the safest car is first class car with 48 passengers inside(12 compartment in each car, 4 persons share a compartment, with private door ). If you are traveling with many valuable things, like valuable camera, it is better to buy a first class train tickets to keep them in a absolutely safe place.

But please do not worry the security of Tibet Train, no matter what class car you stay, you are safe, police men served around a clock, and the stealing seldom taken place.

Any way, please take care of your private valuable things like mobile phone, camera, credit card, money and take them with you all the time.

Food on the Train

18. How about meals on the Train?    Back to index
There is a center kitchen on each train, next to soft sleeping berth car to supply 3 meals a day for hundreds of passenger of the whole train. Attached to this kitchen, a restaurant for 40-50 passengers with widely widow review to outside is the favorite places for travelers, they enjoy the beautiful scenery along Qinghai Tibet Railway while having lunch or breakfast or dinner. Compared with narrow sleeping berth compartment, restaurant car is a comfortable place to see outside. Beyond lunch or dinner time, you are required at least to buy a beer or a cup of tea to seat there, other wise, you will be drive back to your compartment.

Boxed lunches will be brought to each car by a cart, but they are all Chinese style food, rise and fried vegetable and pork, normally sold 20RMB.

Food on the train is double time expensive than those in common cities, but quality is not as good as its price.

For breakfast, passengers will be served with pickles, eggs, bread and milk, which is just 10CNY for one serve, but with balanced nutrients. People in favor of noodles could choose from Snow Vegetable Noodle, Beef Noodle, Steak Noodle and so on.

Tibetan style dishes are the most popular with passengers. Among all 45 dishes, there are 5 cold dishes, 8 Tibetan dishes, 32 ordinary dishes and 8 soup dishes. Reporters say that they witnessed Stewed yak with Crassulaceae 25CNY, Turnip & carrot yak 28CNY and Ginseng salad 18CNY.

Service and Facilities on Tibet Train

19. Do attendants on Tibet Train speak English?    Back to index
No attendant can speak fluent English, some of them can speak some oral English. If you encounter some trouble of communication, please seek help of other passengers, or call the travel agency to help you deliver your intention to attendants.

20. There their private bath room or sink place on the train?    Back to index
There is no private bath room, but 2 bath rooms (one is potty, the other is toilet) and 1 sink area are equipped in each car. That means dozens of passenger will share them. But it seems not a big problem, they are often cleaned by attendants.
There is no toilet paper offered.

21. Can I take shower on the train?    Back to index
No place to shower on the train, so please have a bath before you get on the train, because at the first two days you are in Lhasa, tour guides will tell you not to taking shower to avoid catching cold. So, there will be 3 or 4 days you can not take shower.

Sink Area provide 24 hours hot water supply.

22. Is there internet access on Tibet Train?    Back to index
There is no internet access on the train.

23. Is mobile phone accessible on Tibet Train?    Back to index
You can use your mobile phone at near cities or counties, but most of the train ride does not covered by telephone signal. So if you have something necessary to call to somebody, please call before get on the train.

24. Is there any entertainment facilities on the train?     Back to index
Almostly no entertainment except Railway TV on soft sleeping berth car. Sightseeing to out side is your main program on the train. 

25. Are there electric outlets on the train    Back to index
Yes, you may recharge your mobile phone, camera, and use laptop computer, etc..

26. Is there hot water supply on the train?    Back to index
Each car of Tibet train is equipped a 24 hours working hot water supplier, you can get boiling water from this supplier, but please be careful to avoid be hurt by the boiling water as the train is often strongly shaking when driving.

You can also get hot water at Sink Area when you are cleaning or washing something. there is a thermos in each compartment to store the boiling water for passengers.

27. Is Tibet Train punctual?    Back to index
Because of the special geographic environment where Qinghai Tibet railway constructed, Safe driving of Tibet Train is under strictly control. The train is required to arrive each stop over train station enroute on time, so Tibet train seldom delay.