Kunming–Yuxi–Hekou railway

The Kunming–Yuxi–Hekou railway is a standard-gauge railway in Yunnan Province of China, linking the provincial capital Kunming with the town of Hekou on the Vietnamese border. Constructed in several stages between 1989 and 2014, the Kunming–Yuxi–Hekou railway has largely replaced the Chinese section of the old metre-gauge Kunming–Haiphong railway for normal passenger and cargo transportation. The line is electrified, but single-tracked over most of its length.

Entrance to Xiaoxingzhai Tunnel, between Yuxi and Tonghai
An elevated section between two tunnel sections, between Tonghai and Jianshui

The line consists of three segments:

  • Kunming–Yuxi railway, length 88 km (55 mi), opened in 1993, upgraded in 2016;
  • Yuxi–Mengzi railway, length 141 km (88 mi), opened in February 2013;
  • Mengzi–Hekou railway, length 141 km (88 mi), opened in December 2014.

Route

Although the new line roughly parallels the Kunming–Hekou section of the old narrow-gauge Kunming–Hai Phong railway, the two lines' routes are significantly different. The new rail line, passing through Tonghai and Jianshui, is about 30 km (19 mi) west of the old metre-gauge railway (which runs via Yiliang and Kaiyuan).[1]

Kunming–Yuxi
Yuxi South (Yuxinan) station, the southern end point of the Kunming–Yuxi railway, is a freight station serving an important industrial area
Kunming–Yuxi railway in Haikou Subdistrict, Xishan District, Kunming

The Kunming–Yuxi railway or Kunyu railway (simplified Chinese: 昆玉铁路; traditional Chinese: 昆玉鐵路; pinyin: kūnyù tiělù), is a single-track railroad in Yunnan Province of Southwest China. The line runs 88 km (55 mi) from Kunming to Yuxi and was built from 1989 to 1993.[2][3] Bridges and tunnels account for 22% of the total length of the line.

The major upgrade project of Kunming–Yuxi railway started in 2010, and completed in 2016. The EMU train entered into operation from December 29, 2016.[4]

A branch line leads from Yuxi to Mohan where it connects to the Boten–Vientiane railway at the Chinese–Laotian border.

Yuxi–Mengzi
A railway section in Jianshui County, north of Lihaozhai

The line runs 141 km (88 mi) from Yuxi in central Yunnan to Mengzi City in southern Yunnan.[5] Construction began on December 15, 2005, and was completed in mid-August 2012[6] and the line opened to commercial service on February 23, 2013.[7]

Cities and towns along route include Yuxi, Tonghai County, Jianshui County and Mengzi.[7]

Mengzi–Hekou

The Mengzi–Hekou rail line runs 141 km (88 mi) from Mengzi City in southern Yunnan to the Hekou Yao Autonomous County on the border with Vietnam.[8] Construction began in December 2008 and the line entered operation in December 2014, with two trains running daily from Kunming to Hekou with the maximum speed of 120 km/h and the travel time of 6 hours.[9][10][11][12] Regular passenger service operates between Hekou North and Kunming, with some trains continuing to Dali.[13]

A key element of the Mengzi–Hekou railway is the Taiyangzhai Tunnel (太阳寨隧道). The 7,414 metre-long tunnel is located in Yaoshan Township (瑶山乡) of Hekou County. Construction workers' working conditions in this tunnel have been reported as particularly difficult: with the temperature in the tunnel reaching 43°C and relative humidity 98%, it was nicknamed the "sauna tunnel" by the workers. Drilling of this tunnel was completed in September 2013, making it possible for the entire railway project to stay on time for the completion by the end of 2014.[14]

Connections to the narrow-gauge network

A short metre-gauge connector line operates at Hekou North railway station to facilitate transfers of passengers and cargo to the Vietnamese metre-gauge section of the Kunming–Haiphong railway, in both directions.[11]

References
  1. Matthew Hartzell, Yuxi-Mengzi: China's newest railway
  2. 昆玉铁路简介. 云南日报网 YNDaily (in Chinese). 25 February 2005. Archived from the original on 25 April 2012.
  3. 昆玉铁路"龙"抬头. 云南日报 (in Chinese). 6 September 2001.
  4. "要买北京、上海、深圳还需再等等". yunnan.cn. 2016-12-26. Archived from the original on 2016-12-26. Retrieved 2016-12-26.
  5. "Archived copy" "云南在建铁路项目简介" 昆明铁路局宣传部 (in Chinese). January 18, 2011. Archived from the original on November 6, 2012. Retrieved May 8, 2019.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  6. "China finishes railway linking ASEAN". China Daily. August 15, 2012.
  7. 泛亚铁路东线玉蒙铁路正式开通运营 (in Chinese). February 23, 2013.
  8. (Chinese) "云南在建铁路项目简介" 昆明铁路局宣传部 Archived 2012-07-02 at WebCite 2011-1-18
  9. (Chinese) 泛亚铁路东线蒙河铁路铺架开工 中国日报网 2013-01-01
  10. 蒙河铁路昨日正式开通运营 8天后或可坐火车去河口 2014-12-02
  11. Lu, Hua (陆华); Guo, Weina (郭薇娜) (2015-04-24), 昆明铁路局：国际铁路联运开启云南货运新篇章 (Kunming Railway Bureau: An international railway link opens a new chapter in Yunnan's freight transportation)
  12. 蒙河铁路客运开通在即　从昆明乘火车可直达中越边境 ("Passenger railway opened from Kunming by train can reach the Sino-Vietnam border"), 2014-12-09 (in Chinese)
  13. Hekou North schedule (in Chinese)
  14. 泛亚铁路东线蒙河铁路桑拿隧道贯通. 明年建成通车 ("Boring completed on the 'sauna tunnel' of the Mengzi–Hekou railway, the eastern section of the Trans-Asian Railway. Trains to start running by the end of the next year"), 2013-09-12
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