For the operation of Lanzhou Chongqing railway in Mid-October, there are 6 direct passenger trains (3 round-trip trains) between Chengdu, Chongqing, Kunming and Xining were added to offer tourists more transfer choice to Tibet in Xining. Thus tourists can have more flexible alternatives to experience plateau train travel during peak seasons or major Chinese festivals. A good news is that Kunming opened the first daily train to Xining, Qinghai which is conveniently linked with Lhasa. If you depart from Kunming or Yunnan Province, you can firstly take the Kunming Xining Train to Xining within two days first and then transfer into a Tibet train to Lhasa. Besides, Chengdu and Chongqing both reopened one more daily train to Xining respectively.

Timetable of Trains to Xining

Currently, Chengdu has 4~5 direct trains to Xining every day departing from 14:50 to 21:47, Chongqing has 2~3 daily direct trains to Xining leaving at 15:30 and Kunming begins to run one daily direct train to Xining. So tourists in Kunming or Yunnan don’t have to get to Chengdu or Chengdu to take a Tibet Train scheduled on every other day, you can take the daily Kunming Xining Train (K986) directly to Xining within two days and then transfer to another daily Tibet Train to Lhasa for about 21hrs duration.

Timetable of Trains off Xining

If the returning Tibet Train to Chengdu, Chongqing on every other day doesn’t meet your needs, it’s a good idea to arrive in Xining and take one of the daily trains to Chengdu or Chongqing. Meanwhile, tourist heading to Yunnan can take advantage of the daily Xining Kunming Train (K988) to start your Yunnan tour.

Tibet Train Ticket Booking Tips

1. Tibet Train tickets are always in short supply especially during tourism peak seasons (from May to October). So you'd better confirm your trip plan and book the train ticket as early as possible. Otherwise, transfer in Xining from connected departure cities can be your Plan-B.

2. Train from Kunming to Chengdu & Chengdu to Lhasa needs about 53hrs~58.5hrs (Kunming Chengdu Train: 17hrs~22.5hrs & Chengdu Lhasa Train: 36hrs), and through Chongqing to Lhasa takes about 57hrs~59.5hrs (Kunming Chongqing Train: 21.5hr~24hrs & Chongqing Lhasa Train: 35.5hrs). Train route from Kunming to Xining(36hrs), then Xining to Lhasa (21hrs) needs nearly 57hrs in total.