01 March 2006
Release of pricing and start of rail cargo service on Beijing-Lhasa railway
(AFP, Logistics Management) The Chinese government released provisional prices for the Beijing-Lhasa railway line. A one-way ‘hard seat’ berth, the lowest class of travel on China's railways, will cost 380 yuan (£27; €40; US$47), and a ‘hard bed’ ticket will cost 776 yuan (£55; €80; US$96). A first-class berth in a ‘soft sleeper’ cabin will cost 1,241 yuan (£88; €128; US$154). Such prices compare with a one-way, non-stop airfare from Beijing to Lhasa of around 2,300 yuan (£163; €238; US$286). Travel from Beijing to Lhasa is expected to take at least 48 hours depending on the train and connections in Xining. Trains are already making trial runs along the Qinghai-Tibet section of the railway that runs for 1,965 kilometres. Cargo transport, which has just become operational, will cost 0.12 yuan (0.85 penny; 1.4€cent; 1.5 cents) per kilometre for one tonne of cargo. Passenger transport is scheduled to begin on 01 July 2006.