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.
The line consists of three segments:
Kunming–Yuxi railway, length 106 km (66 mi), opened in December 1993, upgraded in 2016;
Yuxi–Mengzi railway, length 141 km (88 mi), opened in February 23, 2013;[4]
Mengzi–Hekou railway, length 141 km (88 mi), opened in December 1, 2014.[1]
Route
Although the new line roughly parallels the Kunming–Hekou section of the old narrow-gauge Kunming–Hai Phong railway, routes of the two lines 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).[5]
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.[2]
The line runs 141 km (88 mi) from Yuxi in central Yunnan to Mengzi City in southern Yunnan.[8] Construction began on December 15, 2005, and was completed in mid-August 2012[9] and the line opened to commercial service on February 23, 2013.[10][4]
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.[11] Construction began in December 2008 and the line entered operation in December 2014, with two trains running daily from Kunming to Hekou and the travel time of 6 hours.[12][13][14][15] Regular passenger service operates between Hekou North and Kunming, with some trains continuing to Dali.[16]
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.[17]
^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
