Boy looking out through a train window at an achingly pristine landscape.
T plus 17 - Lhasa to Lanzhou
China never ceases to amaze me. I do not think there exists anywhere else a greater divide between the wealthy and the poor, or a broader spectrum between relentless advances in technology and doggedly resilient traditions.
Where the two ends meet is a fascinating and improbable convergence of cultures and expectations. The Qinghai-Tibet railway is a vehicle which bridges this vast gap. On the one hand, we have a miracle passage cleaved through some of the most difficult terrain known to man, at a cost of USD4 billion. On the other, peasants and professionals alike pay the equivalent of USD0.04 per kilometre to traverse 2,000km at the roof of the world in little more than a day. Previously this journey took three times as long on what are dubiously termed as “roads”, in infinitely more uncomfortable conditions.
The dividends which will result from this engineering marvel – from the elevation of the region’s economic development and of China’s international reputation – are difficult to quantify, but can only be massive.
To put things into perspective, the Qinghai-Tibet railway obliterates all prior records for high-altitude rail travel. Its peak altitude of 5,072m makes it the highest railway in the world, beating the previous record-holder, the Lima-Huancayo railway in Peru (4,829m), by a comfortable margin. Naturally it also boasts the world's highest train station and train tunnel(s). Its carriages are hermetically sealed from the inhospitable environment outside, and oxygen generators are employed to increase oxygen partial pressure to counteract the drop in overall ambient air pressure. To further reassure its passengers, every train has a doctor on board who decides if you require further "resuscitation" from your own seat/bunk’s oxygen port.
But that’s not all. In order to pave a permanent path over the Himalayas, the railway’s engineers had to build 80% of the track from Golmud to Lhasa above 4,000m, a distance of 1,142km. Put simply, it’s like constructing a passage capable of bearing the weight of 600 tonnes (30 tonnes per carriage x 20), for a distance between Paris and Barcelona, at an altitude halfway up Mount Everest.
And that’s STILL not all. Much of the railway is built over permafrost, which is okay if it remains permanently frozen. But it doesn’t. In the summer, the frozen ground partially melts and shifts, like a giant bean bag. To address this, deep piles have been driven into the bedrock underneath the boggy top-layer, forming the foundations for an unprecedented number of bridges at this altitude. Where possible, the railway track is flanked by a parallel series of ammonia-based passive heat exchanger tubes, which keep the ground firmly frigid by transferring heat from the ground into the cold air via a vertical, self-contained, liquid-gas phase change process.
Like I said. The most incredible railway in the world. Yours to experience for only USD100 – Lanzhou to Lhasa, one way. Highly (hah!) recommended by your friend Neoh.
The astonishing variations in climate and terrain onboard the Qinghai-Lhasa railway.
It's like experiencing 4 seasons in 24 hours.
It's like experiencing 4 seasons in 24 hours.
