Qinghai-Tibet Railway carries record-high passengers in 2018

The Qinghai-Tibet Railway, the world's highest and longest plateau railroad, last year carried around 16.56 million passengers.

The figure represents a 10 percent year-on-year increase and a new record since the railway began operating in 2006.

The railway delivered 34 million tons of cargo in 2018, an increase of 5.8 percent on 2017, according to the Qinghai-Tibet Railway Company. The railway has in 12 years transported a total of 182 million passengers and 552 million tons of goods.

The railway's capacity has improved significantly since the Golmud-Lhasa section, an extension of the railway, was completed in August last year. New management and mechanisms were introduced to improve efficiency.

During peak times the railway company also ran additional or temporary trains to meet increasing ticket demands.

The enhanced transportation capacity has been a catalyst for social and economic development in Tibet autonomous region and Qinghai province, as well as a driving force for the tourism in the regions.