Editing Lhasa (section)

===Rail===
Lhasa has been served by rail since 2006, when the [[Qinghai–Tibet Railway]] opened for passenger operations. Reaching an elevation of 5,072 metres above sea level, the Qinghai-Tibet railway is the world's highest railway by elevation. It connects Lhasa with [[Xining]], the capital of [[Qinghai Province]], some {{cvt|2000|km}} away, and ultimately links Lhasa with other major cities with China's extensive railway network.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.appletravel.cn/news-10400.html |title=World's highest railway Qinghai-Tibet Railway to be extended to Xigaze from Lhasa - Apple Travel |website=www.appletravel.cn}}</ref> Five trains arrive at and depart from [[Lhasa railway station]] each day. Train number Z21 takes 40 hours and 53 minutes from [[Beijing West railway station|Beijing West]], arriving in Lhasa at 13:03 every day. Train Z22 from Lhasa to Beijing West departs at 15:30 and arrives in Beijing at 08:20 on the third day, taking 40 hours, 50 minutes. Trains also arrive in Lhasa from [[Chengdu]], [[Chongqing]], [[Lanzhou]], Xining, [[Guangzhou]], [[Shanghai]] and other cities.<ref name=Lhasatravel>[http://chinatour.net/tibet/lhasa/get-lhasa/"How to Get to Lhasa" ChinaTour.net] Accessed 23 March 2015</ref> To counter the problem of altitude differences giving passengers [[altitude sickness]], extra oxygen is pumped in through the ventilation system and available directly on each berth with close open control by a flap for the convenience of passengers, and personal oxygen masks are available on request.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/03/AR2006070301219.html |newspaper=The Washington Post |first=Edward |last=Cody |access-date=7 May 2010 |title=Train 27, Now Arriving Tibet, in a 'Great Leap West' |date=4 July 2006}}</ref> Within the soft sleeper cabins there are 64 seats per train, which have an electrical plug for electronics.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.onceinalifetimejourney.com/once-in-a-lifetime-journeys/train-lhasa-can-expect/ |title=The train to Lhasa, Tibet - What You Can Expect |date=7 June 2017}}</ref>

Lhasa is also [[Lhasa–Xigazê Railway|connected]] to [[Shigatse|Xigazê]], the second largest city in Tibet by rail service, since 2014.<ref name="IIRF Strategic Yearbook 2022-23 p. 264">{{cite book | title=IIRF Strategic Yearbook 2022-23 | isbn=979-8-88883-276-9 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QuG9EAAAQBAJ&pg=PT264 | access-date=2024-03-13 | page=264| publisher=Notion Press }}</ref><ref name="Figueiredo Leandro Li 2021 p. 140">{{cite book | last1=Figueiredo | first1=P.G. | last2=Leandro | first2=F.J. | last3=Li | first3=Y. | title=Handbook of Research on Special Economic Zones as Regional Development Enablers | publisher=IGI Global | series=Advances in Public Policy and Administration | year=2021 | isbn=978-1-7998-7621-2 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=F_NLEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA140 | access-date=2024-03-13 | page=140}}</ref> A third railway, the [[Sichuan-Tibet Railway]], which links Lhasa with [[Nyingchi County]] and into the interior ultimately terminating in [[Chengdu]], began construction in June 2015.<ref>{{cite news |script-title=zh:拉林铁路预计2014年9月份动工 全线435.39千米 |url=http://www.chinatibetnews.com/travel/2014/0115/1317204.shtml |publisher=China Tibet News |date=15 January 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20140730031816/http://www.chinatibetnews.com/travel/2014/0115/1317204.shtml |archive-date=30 July 2014}}</ref>

For onward rail travel in [[South Asia]], the closest major station in India is [[New Jalpaiguri]], [[Siliguri]] in [[West Bengal]]. However, extension of the Indian railway system to [[Sikkim]] will make it easier for onward connections through the [[South Asian]] railway network. There are preliminary plans to link Lhasa by rail with Kathmandu.<ref>{{cite news |title=Extend Tibet railway line to Kathmandu, Nepal tells China |url=http://archive.indianexpress.com/news/extend-tibet-railway-line-to-kathmandu-nepal-tells-china/527936/ |publisher=The Indian Express |date=12 October 2009}}</ref>

As per a Chinese Tibetan spokesperson, extension of this rail line to Kathmandu with tunnelling under [[Mount Everest]] was, as of 2015, expected to be completed by 2020.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/apr/09/china-may-build-rail-tunnel-under-mount-everest-state-media-reports |title=China may build rail tunnel under Mount Everest, state media reports |date=9 April 2015 |newspaper=[[The Guardian]]}}</ref>