One of the biggest changes that the Qinghai-Tibet Railway has brought to Lhasa is the dramatic increase of hotel prices.

Currently, the room rate of a standard room at a three-star hotel in Lhasa is about RMB200 per night, but this price will be raised to RMB400 per night starting July 1, 2006. The Qinghai-Tibet Railway is scheduled to open on July 1.

In Ge'ermu, a city in Qinghai Province, room rates are also expected to more than double.

For Qinghai-Tibet Railway tickets, China's National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) is keeping those prices at more reasonable levels.

The passenger transport rate for this section will add RMB0.09 per km per person for soft seat, RMB0.10 per km per person for hard sleeper and RMB0.16 per km per person for soft sleeper based on the unified rates of the railway department. For the cargo transport, RMB0.12 per km per ton will be added based on the ordinary transport fee. All of these rates are effective immediately.