The Qinghai-Tibet Railway, which connects Xining, capital of Qinghai province, with Lhasa, capital of Tibet autonomous region, was completed and put into operation on July 1, 2006. Stretching 1,956 kilometers, the railway is the world's highest and longest plateau railroad and also the first railway connecting the Tibet autonomous region with other parts of China.

Construction of the 814-km section between Xining and Golmud was finished in 1984, while the Golmud-Lhasa section was completed on July 1, 2006. Most of the new 1,142-km track connecting Golmud and Lhasa is located at an elevation of more than 4,000 meters, with its highest point at 5,072 meters.

Construction of the railway resolved three major difficulties — frozen tundra, high altitude and plateau environmental protection. Ecological protection measures taken during and after the railway's construction ensured it was built as "a green railway."