Qinghai-Tibet Railway Ready For Trial Operation

DANGXIONG COUNTY, TIBET - JUNE 29: Shepherds milk sheep near a railroad bridge of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway on June 29, 2006 in Dangxiong County, Tibetan Autonomous Region, China. The Qinghai-Tibet railway will begin trial operations on July 1 and schedule has been set for the first five trains to Tibet via the new railway, an official with the Qinghai-Tibet Railway Company said. The 1,956-kilometer-long (about 1,215 miles) Qinghai-Tibet railway, linking Xining, capital of Qinghai Province, with Lhasa, capital of Tibet Autonomous Region, is the world's highest and longest plateau railroad and also the first railway connecting Tibet with other parts of China. Some 960 kilometers (576 miles) of its track are located 4,000 meters (13,120 feet) above sea level and the highest point is 5,072 meters (16,636 feet), according to state media. (Photo by Cancan Chu/Getty Images)