Morning breaks at the Hoh Xil section of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway.[Photo/ChinaDaily]

Chi Jinghai, train director, performs a magic trick for passengers. He has worked on the Qinghai-Tibet Railway line for five years.[Photo/ChinaDaily] 

As the train's engine burst into life, thousands of Tibetans stared in anticipation from the platform of Lhasa Railway Station, while many more outside pressed against windows in the hope of witnessing an historic moment.

The day was July 1, 2006, and the train was about to embark on the first full journey on the Qinghai-Tibet Railway, a route that has opened the Tibet autonomous region to the rest of China.

"For most people there (that day) it was the first time they had ever seen a train," said Sonam Drolma, 30, a ticket inspector at Lhasa station. "Everyone was so excited. My 60-year-old mother burst into tears when she later got on the train to go to Beijing."

Drolma recalled that in the 1990s it took 10 days traveling 1,067 kilometers on bumpy, mountain roads just to reach Lhasa, the regional capital, from their hometown in Zogang county.

"The new railway offered me a job, and it has changed many people's lives in the past five years," she added.

Ngawang Dradul is one of those people. The 25-year-old procurator from Shannan prefecture in southeast Tibet admits his lifestyle would have been very different had it not been for the rail link.

"I probably would have given up on education without the line and become a farmer, like my father," he said, as he sat in a sleeping berth on his way to Beijing for a training course. "The railway connected me with the outside world."

Dradul studied in the Chinese capital for four years and, thanks to the railway, was spared the ordeal of traveling to school every semester over bumpy roads by horseback and by bus. 

Han Ziqian, 13, (left) and his sister Li Bolong cannot hide their excitement after boarding a train departing Tibet with their parents.[Photo/ChinaDaily]

Pointing to his khata, a traditional white Tibetan silk scarf, he added: "My mother gave this to me to bless me for a safe journey. For her, this is a trip beyond her imagination, but the railway really makes it a comfortable two-day tour."

The Qinghai-Tibet Railway is the world's highest, with 960 km of its tracks running 4,000 meters above sea level. During these sections, oxygen is released into the carriages to ease the passengers' altitude sickness. About 550 km is also on frozen earth, the longest distance of any plateau railway.

The train windows frame blue skies and gleaming snow peaks, and lucky passengers can sometimes see chiru, rare Tibetan antelopes, jumping or grazing as the train flies above on overpasses.

Such scenic beauty has made Tibet a hot spot for tourism. During the 11th Five-Year Plan (2006-2010), Tibet generated an income of 22.6 billion yuan ($3.5 billion) by attracting 21 million visitors, growing 29.8 percent a year on average. In 2010, tourism revenue made up 14.1 percent of Tibet's GDP.

Official data shows the Qinghai-Tibet Railway has played an important part, having transported more than 7 million passengers since 2006, as well as carried 7 million tons of cargo, including food, coal, steel, and fuel.

"The railway has helped Tibet's economy boom by providing more resources, jobs and business opportunities," said Liu Zengyi, a senior official at Lhasa Railway Station, who explained the railway saves shipping companies 500 yuan ($80) for each ton compared with highways.

The first section of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway - from the capital Xining to Golmud in the west of the province - was opened in 1984, with the second section - Golmud to Lhasa - started in 2001 and completed in 2006.

An extension from Lhasa to Tibet's Xigaze prefecture is already under construction, while work on an additional link to Nyingchi prefecture in southeast Tibet will start during the 12th Five-Year Plan (2011-2015).

"When all extensions are finished, the railway network will be the first in Tibet and will really improve Tibetan people's lives," added Liu. 

La Palden, a 59-year-old Tibetan living in Qinghai province, returns home with his family. He said the train is convenient and safe.[Photo/ChinaDaily]

Some people who complained of not feeling well relax in the dining car with some children. [Photo/ChinaDaily]

One of the bustling carriages on a Qinghai-Tibet Railway train. [Photo/ChinaDaily]