Facts and Figures:
1. The highest railway in the world. About 960 kilometers of it are at an altitude of 4,000 meters and more with the highest point being 5,072 meters above sea level.
2. The longest plateau railway in the world. From Golmud of Qinghai Province to Lhasa, capital of Tibet Autonomous Region, the rail link crosses deserts, gobi, marshes, wetland, snow capped mountains and meadow with a total length of 1,142 kilometers.
3. The longest railway crossing on frozen-earth plateau with 550 kilometers built on a foundation of perennial and continually frozen ground.
4. The highest-altitude railway station in the world – Tanggula Railway Station, 5,068 meters above sea level, and covering an area of 77,000 square meters.
5. The highest frozen-earth plateau tunnel – Fenghuoshan Tunnel, 1,338 meters long on Fenghuo Mountain, 4,905 meters above sea level.
6. The longest frozen-earth plateau tunnel in the world – Kunlun Mountain Tunnel, 1,686 meters long, at an average altitude of 4,600 meters and with temperatures as low as minus 30 degrees Celsius. The oxygen content of the air is half that in plain areas.
7. The highest railway construction base – Amdo work site sits at an altitude of 4,704 meters.
8. The longest railway bridge on the line – Qingshuihe Bridge, 11.7 kilometers in length crossing Hoh Xil Nature Reserve at an average altitude of 4,600 meters.
9. The highest speed of any train on a plateau frozen-earth railway anywhere in the world. The Qinghai-Tibet train can reach speeds of 100 kilometers per hour on frozen-earth sections and up to 120 kilometers on other parts of the line.
(China.org.cn)