China would launch "the most luxurious train in the world" to ply the route from Beijing to Tibet's Lhasa, domestic media reported Sunday.

However, a ride on the train, which would begin operations Sept 1, would be about 20 times more expensive than the ordinary fare of about 2,000 yuan ($280), Xinhua news agency said. The interior of the train will be decorated according to the standards of a five-star hotel, according to Zhu Mingrui, general manager of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway Corporation.

Editor: Carolyn