It's expected to cost less than US$50 to travel from Beijing to Lhasa on the new Qinghai-Tibet railway - a journey of more than 4,000 kilometers, said sources in Beijing on Monday.

In China, three types of train tickets are available at differing prices. The basic coach ticket, called a hard seat will sell for 389 yuan (US$48.6) from Beijing to Lhasa, while the price for hard sleeper or bunk will cost 813 yuan (US$101.6), and the price for a shared compartment or soft sleeper is 1,262 yuan (US$157.75).

For the 3,360-kilometer trip between Chengdu, provincial capital of southwest China's Chengdu province, and Lhasa, the hard seat price is 331 yuan (US$41.38), the hard sleeper price is 712 yuan (US$89), and the cost of a soft sleeper is 1,104 yuan (US$138).

For the trip between the southwest-located Chongqing, one of China's four municipalities, and Lhasa, a hard seat ticket for the 3,654-kilometer journey is 355 yuan (US$44.38), while the price for hard sleeper is 754 yuan (US$94.25), while a soft sleeper will cost 1,168 yuan (US$146).

Ticket prices from Lanzhou in northwest China to Lhasa, a trip of 2,188-kilometers, are: hard seat 242 yuan (US$30.25), hard sleeper 552 yuan (US$69), and soft sleeper price 854 yuan (US$106.25).

From Qinghai's provincial capital Xi'ning to Lhasa, which is 1,972 kilometers, the hard seat price is 226 yuan (US$28.25), the hard sleeper price is 523 yuan (US$65.38), and the soft sleeper price is 810 yuan (US$101.25).

The Qinghai-Tibet railway is due to begin trial operations on July 1.

The world's highest railway, extends 1,956 kilometers from Xining to Lhasa. Some 960 kilometers of its tracks are located 4,000 meters above sea level and the highest point is 5,072 meters, at least 200 meters higher than the Peruvian railway in the Andes, which was formerly the world's highest altitude railway.

(Xinhua News Agency June 27, 2006)