BEIJING, Oct. 1 -- The Ministry of Railways is carrying out detailed inspections and maintenance along China's Qinghai-Tibet Railway to ensure the trains run safely across the world's highest plateau during the winter, said ministry spokesman, Wang Yongping.

About 550 kilometers of track run over unstable permafrost which is prone to heaving. Temperatures high up on the Qinhai plateau can drop to minus 45 degrees in the winter.

Wang said emergency measures are also being developed.

The Qinghai-Tibet Railway stretches 1,956 kilometers from Xining, capital of northwest China's Qinghai Province, to Lhasa, capital of Tibet Autonomous Region. About 960 kilometers of the track is 4,000 meters above sea level, with the highest point at 5,072 meters.