Figure 9.28: The Beijing-Tibet Railway. The western section of this railroad opened in 2006. It is the world’s highest railway, with nearly 600 miles (1000 kilometers) of line that are at an altitude above 13,000 feet (4000 meters). The trip from Beijing to Lhasa now takes less than 48 hours, and it costs much less to transport goods and people via the railway than it does using the existing highway. However, many Tibetans worry that the railway will Tibet become a conduit for more Han migration to Tibet.

[Source consulted: “Travel and Tours,” http://www.chinatibettrain.com/index.html.]