Railway in the Sky

27 Railway in the Sky All aboard! Let's take a ride on the world's highest railway. Sit back and enjoy the journey. Get ready for the trip of a lifetime. You're about to travel on the world's newest wonder-the Qinghai-Tibet Railway. We're leaving Qinghai Station. In no time at all, we'll arrive safely in Lhasa, Tibet. The scenery along the way is some of the wildest in all of China. Keep your eyes open as we race through this beautiful land at speeds of up to 120kilometres an hour. You might see a rare Tibetan antelope from your window. Before we begin our journey, let's learn about this remarkable railway. It's truly one of the great engineering wonders of the 21st century. When it was completed on July 1, 2006, the Tibet Railway set nine world records, including the world's highest railway at 5, 072 metres above sea level, the world's highest tunnel at 4, 905 metres, and the longest tunnel ever built on permafrost. And if that's not enough, the Tibet Railway also has the world's longest railway bridge built over permafrost.

As we travel high into the Himalayas, the air gets thinner and thinner. Soon there will only be 50 to 60 percent of the oxygen most of us are used to breathing. But don't be afraid. Each rail car has two separate oxygen systems. One system spreads oxygen throughout the train at all times. In addition, each passenger has access to a personal oxygen mask just like those used in high altitude jets. Here are a few more things to think about as our train leaves the station. The designers overcame three major challenges when building this great railway. First, the high altitude made construction difficult due to lack of oxygen. Second, much of the railway runs across permafrost, a type of ground that is constantly changing as the weather warms and cools. It's like building something on a sponge-not an easy task! Finally, the railway goes through some of the most sensitive ecology in China. Great care was necessary to ensure the smallest possible effect on nature. All three challenges were met, making our voyage possible. All aboard! The train to Tibet is leaving in fifteen minutes.