Z917 is the only train originating from Lanzhou to Lhasa. Every two days, it departs at 11:16 from Lanzhou Railway Station and arrives at Lhasa Railway Station at 11:20 next day, taking 24:04 hours to cross a distance of 2,188 kilometers between both cities.
More Detailed Information about Lanzhou Tibet Train
Lanzhou is the capital city of Gansu Province in northwest China and used to be a very important point on the ancient Silk Road. The Yellow River runs through this city, ensuring rich crops of many juicy and fragrant fruits. The famous attractions in Lanzhou include Gansu Provincial Museum, Green Corridor along Binhe Road, Five-Spring Mountain, Yellow River Mother Sculpture, and SunYat-Sen Bridge.
As a transportation hub, Lanzhou connects western and central China. Big cities in China like Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, Guangzhou,etc. have regular flights to Lanzhou every day, tourists may go to Lanzhou by plane then go to Lhasa by train.
Should I Choose Soft Sleeper or Hard Sleeper?
Why Soft Sleeper is Better than Hard Sleeper?
Like each Lhasa-bound train, the train to Lhasa from Lanzhou is also especially built for the high altitude environment and equipped with advanced facilities, such as air-conditioning, supercharging system, oxygen supply, altitude display, etc. The train is also tightly sealed so as to firstly keep the inside air pressure normal and secondly prevent passengers from littering. Besides, all the carriages are installed with double-pane windows and ultraviolet filters to protect passengers from ultraviolet radiation. Nowadays, the train journey is extremely popular for its breathtakingly unique scenery along the railway from Lanzhou to Tibet.
Soft sleeper is more spacious than the hard one
In fact, there are three kinds of accommodations available on Lanzhou-Lhasa train: soft sleeper, hard sleeper, and hard seat, of which the most comfortable one is the soft sleeper. The soft sleeper consists of 4 bunks (75cm*190cm) and promises more privacy and comfort with a sliding lockable door, which is highly recommended.
While the hard sleeper is made up of 6 bunks (60cm*180cm) and the living space varies slightly. The lowest bunks enjoy the largest living space whereas the top bunks are cramped. The cabin of a hard sleeper has no independent door to close when tourists want to sleep. Hard seat is not recommended given the long ride and nothing is more important than having a sound sleep.
Lanzhou to Lhasa Train Schedule and Price
As it is nearest to Xining, there is a train originally departing from Lanzhou to Lhasa every other day, and the trains to Tibet which come from inland China would make a stop in Lanzhou. Thus, there are 4-5 trains heading to Lhasa from Lanzhou every day. That’s to say, only one train Z917 originally departs from Lanzhou while others just pass by.
| Train Number | Departure | Arrival | Duration | Distance | Frequency | Ticket Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Z223 (Chongqing-Lhasa) | 9:28 | 9:55 | 24:27hrs | 2,188km | Every other day | ¥522.00 Hard sleeper | ¥823.00 Soft sleeper |
| Z323 (Chengdu-Lhasa) | 9:28 | 9:55 | 24:27hrs | 2,188km | Every other day | ¥522.00 Hard sleeper | ¥823.00 Soft sleeper |
| Z917 (Lanzhou-Lhasa original) | 11:16 | 11:20 | 24:04hrs | 2,188km | Every other day | ¥522.00 Hard sleeper | ¥823.00 Soft sleeper |
| Z21 (Beijing-Lhasa) | 12:32 | 12:45 | 24:13hrs | 2,188km | Daily | ¥522.00 Hard sleeper | ¥823.00 Soft sleeper |
| Z265 (Guangzhou-Lhasa) | 16:41 | 16:45 | 24:04hrs | 2,188km | Daily | ¥522.00 Hard sleeper | ¥823.00 Soft sleeper |
| Z165 (Shanghai-Lhasa) | 18:34 | 19:35 | 25:01hrs | 2,188km | Daily | ¥522.00 Hard sleeper | ¥823.00 Soft sleeper |
Notice:
The ticket prices above are the net price. In reality, as traveling in Tibet is so popular that the actual ticket demand far exceeds the supply, in-bound and out-bound tourists have to pay more than the net price to buy tickets. The actual price is subject to the market fluctuation. In some cases, the actual price could be double than the net price. Despite the uncertainty and difficulty in purchasing train tickets, Tibet Vista would manage to book tickets at a reasonable price ( usually 20 percent lower than the market price) and promise to offer free service for it. If tourists only want to buy train tickets via Tibet Vista without intending to travel to Tibet, Tibet Vista will have to charge a small amount of service fee.
Alternative Plans if Failed to Get the Soft Sleeper Ticket
Since the soft sleeper on Lanzhou Lhasa train is very popular, if you happen to fail to get the ticket, don’t worry, there are 3 alternative plans for you.
Option 1: You can book the hard sleeper ticket of Lanzhou-Lhasa Train.
Option 2: Lanzhou is only 240km away from Xining, the beginning train station of Qinghai Tibet Railway (by bus 2.5 hours, by train 2 hours and 20 minutes). However, if you failed to board any Lanzhou-Lhasa train in Lanzhou, you may take a fast train from Lanzhou to Xining and then transfer the train to Lhasa in Xining. There are about 35 pairs of trains running between Lanzhou and Xining every day.
How to Book and Get Tibet Train Tickets?
International travelers can’t enter in Tibet as backpackers and need the help of travel agency to apply for Tibet Travel Permit in advance. You do not need the permit to book the tickets but you do need it to collect the ticket and board the train.
1. How to Book Tibet Train Ticket?
Book train ticket with us ( highly recommended)
To individual tourists, the best solution is to contact a reliable travel agency and book the Lanzhou-Lhasa train ticket at least one month in advance.
Book at 12306.cn or buy ticket at train station
Neither method is convenient for international travelers. The 12306.cn has no English version and the online payment is limited to Chinese bank card, Wechat Pay and Alipay. The staff in train station can’t speak English. For popular route such as Lanzhou to Lhasa train, during the peak season and even the off season of Tibet tourism, it is difficult for foreign tourists to book train tickets.
2. How to Get the Tibet Train Ticket?
In China, you need the paper train tickets to get into your train. If you book train tickets with us, you have two ways to get your paper tickets:
1. We deliver the paper tickets to your hotel or address in China (Recommended)
2. Collect them at the railway station
If you choose the delivery service, it is advisable to inform us 4 business days before departure. If you choose to collect them at the railway station, make sure to bring the confirmation number of train tickets, your Tibet Travel Permit as well as your valid and original passport. The confirmation number will be sent to you along with related train information once the tickets are confirmed, present it and the mentioned documents to the staff behind ticket windows to get paper tickets for free.
Lanzhou Railway Station operates 24/7, but usually there are only a few ticket windows available after 11 p.m. Considering the long queues in front of the ticket window and the language barrier, it is advisable to arrive at the train station at least 2 hours before departure if you collect tickets on the same day.
Notice: Tibet Travel Permit is needed for collecting the Tibet train ticket.
3. How to Read the Train Ticket
Here are some useful phrases you may need to read Z917 Lanzhou to Lhasa Train ticket:
兰州站：Lanzhou Railway Station
拉萨站: Lhasa Railway Station
xx年xx月xx日: xx Year xx Month xx Date
xx车xx号: xx Carriage xx Berth
上/ 中/ 下铺：Upper/ Middle/ Lower Berth
Information guide on Lanzhou to Tibet Train Ticket
How to Board the Train?
Below are the steps to board a train in China:
Step1: Fill in the Health History Form
Before boarding the train, tourists are expected to fill out an health history form. If one has illness such as hypertension, stroke, chronic respiratory problem, and other cardiovascular disease, he or she shall no board the train for one’s health concern.
Step2: Pass Security Check
After your arriving at the right railway station, line up for the security check to enter into waiting hall: present your passport, Tibet Travel Permit and train ticket to the staff, put all your luggage such backpacks, carry-on bags on the security scanner conveyor belt, and walk through a detector gate and wait for staff to use a scanner on you to check forbidden articles.
Notice: Tourists should put your luggage to the X-Ray scanner and things like gun, poison, explosive, and chemical substance, etc are strictly forbidden.
Step3: Find the Waiting Room
Once enter into the waiting hall of Lanzhou Railway Station, you can find an LED screen showing Train Number (车次), Terminal (终到站), Departing Time (开点) and Waiting Room (候车室). Get your waiting room information and wait for check-in there. The train number is well marked in the correct waiting room.
Step4: Board the Train
Usually check-in starts 15-30 minutes before departure and barriers close 5 minutes before departure. After check-in, you can find Led screen hang on the way to the train telling your platform (站台) and direction of your carriage (车厢). Follow the instruction and the staff waiting at the carriage gate will check your ticket again to make sure you board the right carriage of the right train.
Step5: Find Your Berth
After getting on the train, you can find your berth according to your ticket. Put your baggage on the rack overhead or under the lower berth. Your sleeper ticket will be exchanged for a plastic berth card by staff shortly after boarding. Staff will return your ticket and get back the berth card about half an hour before arriving at your destination.
FAQs:
Q1. Is it necessary to carry Tibet Travel Permit all the time?
Make sure you have your passport, Tibet Travel Permit and ticket with you as you could be checked many times during the long journey. It is also advisable to have many copies of Tibet Travel Permit.
Q2. Is it possible to swap ticket with other people to stay with friends or family in the same cabin?
Yes. It is acceptable. You may ask conductor to swap tickets with other passengers to stay with your family or friends. Do remember your cabin and seat No.
Q3. Is It Safe on the Tibet Train?
Having a ride on Qinghai-Tibet train is relatively safe as each compartment is independent and its door will automatically be closed at night. One is forbidden to enter the compartment without ticket. Of course, nowhere is safer than the compartments of soft sleeper. The cabin of soft sleeper can accommodate 4 travellers and there is a door to shut, which is the perfect choice for a family. Besides, the surveillance cameras and 24-hours police patrol make it even safer on the train.
Life Onboard
Having a ride on Qinghai-Tibet train like Lanzhou-Lhasa route is definitely the experience of a lifetime. Besides, the long distance and pressurized train tailor-made for acclimatization of extreme altitude make the ride different from other train journey. Following tips are suggested for tourists to better enjoy the life on Lanzhou-Lhasa train.
1. Food and Drinks
Before the departure from Lanzhou Railway Station, do bring enough food. It could be snacks, fruit and instant noodles wrapped in bowls. Sharing snack with roommates is the easiest way to break the silence.
Dozens of tourists are having dinner in the dinning car. Tourists can order some traditional Chinese home-made dishes.
You can get 3 meals and drinks from the dining carriage located in the middle of the train. Usually only Chinese food such as noodles, dishes and soups is available and it costs about 20 CNY/meal and accepts cash payment, Wechat payment and Alipay.
The trolleys loaded with food are served in each compartment sporadically and tourists can buy from the staff of train. Besides, tourists can get free boiled water from hot water dispenser near the sinks.
2. Facilities on the Train
Toilets: The soft sleeper carriage has one western-style toilet and one squat style toilet, while hard sleeper carriage only has two squat style toilets. Toilets are located at the end of each carriage, adjacent to the washbasin, dustbin and hot water dispenser. The toilets will be locked when the train stops. Avoid to use them when the train is about to stop for arriving at a station. The red sign on the toilet door means the toilet is occupied while the green sign means not occupied. Next small but important thing is to have enough tissue or toilet paper. Because it is used fast and one won’t find any replacement if it runs out.
Washbasin: Usually only cold water is available. Tourists need to bring their own towel, wet paper tissue and toilet articles.
Dustbin: There is a big dustbin at the end of the carriage. And you can find small dustbin in each compartment and metal plate on the table along the aisle. A cleaner will sweep the floor and collect luggage from the compartment from time to time. All the waste will be disposed by train staff when arrive at stops along the way.
Hot water dispenser: There are free boiled water all the time. Bring your own water flask and get water when the light on the dispenser turns green.
FAQs:
Q1. Where to recharge your mobile phones and electronic devices?
The power plug for chargers are located in the corridors OR under your table in the cabin with the 4 soft sleepers (in between the 2 lower bunks).
Q2. Can tourists have shower in the train?
Unfortunately, there is no shower room in the train. Do bring some wet wipes in stores and a small towel. And small but equally important thing is to bring enough toilet/tissue paper.
3. Altitude Change of Lanzhou to Lhasa Train
Lanzhou lies at 1,600 meters above sea level. After Lanzhou, the altitude climbs slowly and reaches 2,275 meters at Xining. Xining is the first station where altitude sickness is likely to occur for a few passengers.
After Xining, the altitude starts to ascend and reaches 2,829 meters at Golmud. And then the altitude increases sharply by more than 1,000 meters in less than 100 kilometers, causing altitude sickness for some passengers. When arriving at the world’ s highest railway pass, the Tanggula Pass (5,072m), most tourists will suffer from altitude sickness. Then, the altitude drops slowly as you travel south through Nagqu and finally reaches 3,650 meters in Lhasa.
This graph gives you a rough idea of how altitude changes along Lanzhou-Lhasa railway line
4. Altitude Sickness and Oxygen Supply
Sometimes called “mountain sickness”, altitude sickness is a group of symptoms that can strike if you walk or climb to a higher altitude too quickly. Characterized by symptoms such as headache, dizziness, fatigue,nausea, altitude sickness is the biggest concern for travelling to Tibet.
However, there is no need to be panic about altitude sickness. To better adapt to high altitude, Lanzhou-Lhasa Train is tightly sealed and pressurized like an airplane. Therefore, smoking is not allowed. There are two sets of oxygen supply on the train: the dispersion-mode oxygen supply system operated by the train staff and the distribution-mode oxygen supply that can be connected to individual passenger through an independent port via a disposable pipe distributed by train staff. You can find the oxygen supply port in your compartment and along the aisle of each carriage.
An illustration of how to use oxygen outlet on Qinghai-Tibet train
As the train ascends to Golmud, the oxygen is automatically pumped into the train and tourists can also manually use the oxygen outlet to minimize altitude sickness symptoms such as headache, dizziness, fatigue,nausea,etc. It is advisable to bring altitude sickness medicines to ease the discomfort.
You can drink lots of water, eat light food and take a good rest to prevent high altitude sickness. It is advisable to consult the doctor for altitude sickness medicines weeks pior to the trip.
FAQs:
Q1. How to Get Help on the Train?
Some of the staff on the train speak English and they are easy-approaching and hospitable to foreign tourists. If one runs into any trouble, you may ask the head of conductor for help. Most of the passengers may have symptoms of altitude sickness (such as headache, fatigue, difficult sleeping, lack of appetite, etc.) as the train reaches Qinghai-Tibet plateau. Now, you may switch on the oxygen outlet to inhale oxygen to ease the discomfort. If the symptom gets worse, you may find the conductor for help and the doctor on the train will come and give you timely treatment.
Q2. How can we minimize the effect of altitude sickness?
The effect of altitude sickness on passengers varies. Yet, to minimize or ease the impact of altitude sickness, one may prepare some altitude sickness tablets before boarding the train and take some when the train climbs to plateau. There is no need to worry too much the altitude sickness, the train is built with oxygen supply system which is easy to use.
Q3. Is smoking allowed in the cabin?
Smoking is strictly forbidden in the train as the train is tightly sealed and pressurized and oxygen is pumped into the carriage when the train ascends to extreme altitude.It would be devastating if the train caught fire.
5. Views along Lanzhou-Lhasa Railway
The views along the way depend on the train you get on at Lanzhou Railway Station. Take Lanzhou-Lhasa Train Z917 for example, it arrives at Nagchu at 7:22. you can see the sunrise in the Qiangtang Prairie if weather permits, the snow-capped Nyenchen Thanglha Mountains, Yangpachen, Tsonag Lake, etc. The splendid scenery along Qinghai-Tibet Railway will never let you down.
Pass through the boundless Qinghai Lake in the daytime
A glimpse of the stunning sunset in Delingha
Snow-capped Tanggula Mountains along the Qinghai Tibet Railway
How to Get to the Train Stations?
Lanzhou Railway Station
There are four railway stations in Lanzhou: Lanzhou East/ West/ New Area Railway Station and Lanzhou Station, while the Lanzhou-Tibet trains all depart from Lanzhou Railway Station which is located in Chengguan District. Established in October 1952, Lanzhou Railway Station is an important transportation terminal. It is around 4km from downtown and 72km from Lanzhou Zhongchuan International Airport (LHW).
Lanzhou Railway Station
Address: No. 393, Huochezhan East Road, Chengguan District, Lanzhou (兰州市城关区火车站东路393号)
Phone: (86-931) 4922222
Ticket Booking Hotline: 12306
Distance from Airport: appro. 72km
Bus to There: No. 1, No. 6, No.7, No. 9, No. 10 etc
From Downtown to Lanzhou Railway Station
Taxi: It takes around 15 minutes to reach Lanzhou Railway Station from downtown by taxi. And the taxi starts from RMB 10 in the daytime.
Bus: There are many buses arrive at Lanzhou Railway Station, however, due to the language barrier, we don’t recommend international passengers to take a bus.
From Lanzhou Zhongchuan International Airport to the Railway Station
Taxi: It takes about 50 minutes to travel from Lanzhou Zhongchuan International Airport (LHW) to LanZhou Railway Station by taxi.
Airport Shuttle Bus: Airport – CAAC ticket Office (Panxuan Lu) Line
Price: CNY 30/ person
How to go: Take this airport shuttle bus and get off at its terminal CAAC ticket Office , then take bus No. 1 or No. 127 or take a taxi to Lanzhou Railway Station which is 2-3 bus stations away. Usually it takes the shuttle 70 minutes to arrive at the CAAC ticket office.
Intercity Rail: Intercity rail trains are available from Lanzhou Zhongchuan International Airport to Lanzhou Railway Station, taking 39-56 minutes. Trains between airport and Lanzhou Railway Station cost CNY21.5 for a second class seat and CNY26 for a first-class seat.
Lhasa Railway Station
Lhasa Railway Station is the terminal of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway and serves as the central hub and biggest train station in Tibet for its huge transport capacity. Situated in Liuwu New Area of southwest Lhasa at an altitude of 3,641 meters, it is only 8 kilometers to downtown Lhasa, 20 kilometers to southwest of the Potala Palace.
When you arrive in Lhasa by train, our guide will greet you and bring you to start your once-in-a-lifetime trip to explore the mysterious Tibet – the roof of the world.
Lhasa Railway Station
