Lhasa-Shigatse Railway has received about 400,000 passengers since it opened in August 2014, according to the Shigatse Railway Station.

According to Yin Xianfa, station-master of Shigatse Railway Station, each train can receive 1034 passengers. Even in low traffic, each train can receive 300 to 400 passengers.

Lhasa-Shigatse Railway brings many advantages to the masses. Jigme Tseten is 32 years old and owns a clothing shop in Barkhor Street, Lhasa City. He says “In the past, the traffic to China-Nepal border is poor and the journey is far. The opening of Lhasa-Shigatse Railway saves me a lot of time.”

Lhasa-Shigatse Railway starts construction in 2010 and it is the extension line of Qinghai-Tibet Railway. With a total investment of 13.28 billion yuan RMB, its running speed is not lower than 120  km per hour.

At present, Lhasa-Shigatse Railway departs from Lhasa to Shigatse at 9:00 am and departs from Shigatse to Lhasa at 5:30 pm each day. The whole journey takes 2 hours and 58 minutes.

“Depending on the increasing passengers, Z8803 and Z8804 trains are increased to better serve passengers,” says Yin Xianfa.