Lhasa to Shigatse Train

Lhasa-Shigatse Railway is an extension of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway, connecting local people and tourists between Lhasa and Shigatse. It runs east-west, starting from Lhasa Railway Station in the east and ending at Shigatse Railway Station. It is really a great option for tourists to travel from Lhasa to Shigatse since it only takes about 2-3 hours. The only bad part is that you can't stop by whenever you want to appreciate the overwhelming scenery along the road.

The Lhasa-Shigatse Railway opened for use in August 2014 with a total distance of 248 kilometers. It is faster than traveling by road as it only takes about half of the time if you choose to drive from Lhasa to Shigatse. However, tourists can also enjoy the views along the road when the train follows the Brahmaputra River and passes through the Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon.

Currently, there are three to four trains running every day between Lhasa and Shigatse. There are three pairs of trains on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, and four pairs of trains from Friday to Monday in order to guarantee the needs of increasing tourists around the weekend. All of those are direct trains without stops during the journey. As with other trains running on the Qinghai-Tibet Railway, these trains running between Lhasa and Shigatse are all equipped with oxygen for every tourist.