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Guangtong–Chuxiong–Dali railway

The Guangtong–Chuxiong–Dali railway or Kunchuda railway (Chinese: 昆楚大铁路; pinyin: Kūnchǔdà tiělù) is located in the northern part of Yunnan Province, China. It runs from east to west through Kunming City, Chuxiong Yi Autonomous Prefecture and Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture. It is 328 kilometres (204 mi) long and is part of the China–Myanmar international railway corridor and the western route of the proposed Kunming–Singapore railway. When it was under construction, it was called the "Guangtong–Dali Railway Capacity Expansion and Reconstruction Project"[1] and the "Chengdu–Kunming railway Railway Capacity Expansion and Reconstruction Project: Guangtong–Kunming Double Track".[2] After its completion, it was briefly called the Kun-Guang Railway[3] and was finally named the "Kunchuda railway" (a contraction of Kunming–Chuxiong–Dali railway) when it was in operation.[4]

Guangtong–Chuxiong–Dali railway
Overview
Other name(s)Kunchuda railway
Native name昆楚大铁路
StatusOperational
OwnerChina Railway
LocaleYunnan, China
Termini
Service
TypeHeavy rail
Operator(s)China Railway Kunming Group
History
Opened1 July 2018 (2018-07-01)
Completed2 April 2018 (2018-04-02)
Technical
Line length213 km (132 mi)
Number of tracks2
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Minimum radiusGenerally 3,500 m (2.2 mi) or
2,800 m (1.7 mi) in difficult areas
Electrification25 kV 50 Hz AC overhead line
Operating speed200 km/h (120 mph)
Maximum incline0.6%
Route map

Legend
km
Chengdu–Kunming railway from Kunming
 Guangtong North
Chengdu–Kunming railway to Yuanmou West
Guangtong–Dali railway from Guangtong
30
 Chuxiong
Nanhuabei
Xiangyun
Yunnanyi
Guangtong–Dali railway on the left
Dali East
to Dali–Lijiang railway, to Lijiang
213
 Dali
Dali–Lincang railway to Lincang
Dali–Ruili railway to Ruili
km
This diagram:

Background

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Due to the low technical standards of the Guangtong–Dali railway (Guangda railway), which opened in 1999, only nine pairs of passenger trains can pass through it each day.[5]

Pan-Asian Railway Project

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The Southeast Asian section of the Trans–Asian railway was originally proposed by Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad in 1995 to connect several ASEAN countries.[6] Later, it was responded to by other Asian countries and expanded into a larger plan. Finally, in 2010, the plan was finally implemented after the signing of the "Intergovernmental Agreement on the Asian Railway Network".[7] In the plan, there are three corridors connecting China's southwest region and Southeast Asian countries. The western route runs from Yunnan Province, China through Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia to Singapore.[6] The route within Yunnan Province is Kunming–Chuxiong–Dali–Ruili.

Construction

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Guangkun section

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The construction of the 106.3 km (66.1 mi)-long Guangkun section of the Chengdu-Kunming Railway reconstruction project began on 18 October 2007. The initial design speed was 160 km/h (99 mph) and the conditions for increasing the speed to 200 km/h (120 mph) were reserved.[2] On 26 September 2012, the 7.6 km (4.7 mi)-long Laodongshan Tunnel, the key project of the entire line, was successfully completed.[8] On 31 March 2013, after more than five years of work and successfully solving 13 large-scale water inrushes, China Railway's 16th Bureau successfully completed the 13.2 km (8.2 mi)-long Xiuning Tunnel, the longest of the Guangkun double-track tunnels.[9] The Guangkun double-track section was officially opened for operation on 27 December 2013.[2]

On 20 December 2017, the Guangkun double-track line began to be renovated to increase the operating speed to 200 km/h and permit the operation of high-speed trains from Kunming to Dali. Since the Guangkun double-track line has been put into operation, the Kunming Railway Bureau took advantage of the "window period" between trains to renovate the line and a series of facilities and equipment such as communication signals and power supply.[10]

Chuda section

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The Chuxiong-Dali section is 175 km (109 mi)-long with a designed speed of 200 km/h (120 mph). It is a Class I double-track electrified railway that passes through Chuxiong Yi Autonomous Prefecture and Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture in Yunnan Province.[11] There are 80 bridges and 44 tunnels along the line, with 63.6% of the line composed of bridges and tunnels. The electrification facilities include 500 km (310 mi) of overhead lines, 5 traction substations and 429 km (267 mi) of power lines.[12] On 13 October 2009, China's National Development and Reform Commission approved 18 key projects for the Western Development program, including the double-track railway from Chuxiong to Dali.[13] On 10 September 2010, a mobilisation meeting for the project was held in Chuxiong Prefecture, attended by a number of leaders from the Ministry of Railways and Yunnan Province. Among them, Bai Enpei announced the start of the project, and Wen Qingliang reported on the project preparations at the mobilisation meeting.[1] In December 2012, as part of the Guangda Railway capacity expansion and reconstruction project, the Chuda section started construction, with an estimated cost of RMB 13.936 billion at the time of construction.[5] The units involved in the construction included China Railway's 12th Bureau[14] and 17th Bureau.[15]

By August 2016, 39 of the 44 tunnels on the entire line had been completed.[16] In March 2013, construction of the 10.2 km (6.3 mi) Xianghe Tunnel, located at the junction of Dali City and Xiangyun County, began. The China Railway 17th Bureau Group was responsible for the construction. The tunnel has a maximum burial depth of 705 m (2,313 ft) and passes through 9 large mountain fracture zones. 45% of the sections are risky sections. The construction site seeps 110,000 m3 (140,000 cu yd) of water every day, and geological disasters occur from time to time. The construction unit avoided more than 20 dangerous situations during the construction, and finally the tunnel was completed on 6 February, five years later.[15] The longest tunnel in the Chuda section is the 13.8 km (8.6 mi)-long Pupeng No. 1 Tunnel. The surrounding area has very complex geological conditions and a very high risk of geological disasters. There are also other important facilities such as military optical cables, the China-Myanmar oil pipeline, local power pipelines and National Highway 312.[17] Thanks to the efforts of the 12th Bureau, this tunnel was successfully completed on 29 March 2017.[18]

The construction of the beams for the Chuda section began in March 2016[19] and by June 2017, a total of 1,672 beams had been erected, accounting for 85.6% of the total. All the piers and abutments were also completed on 22 June 2017.[20]

On 14 July 2017, the prototype project of the contact network of the Chuda section passed the acceptance inspection, and the electrification facilities of the Chuda section began to be fully constructed.[21]

On 2 April 2018, the entire Chuda section was completed.[22]

Operations

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On 29 March 2018, a Shaoshan 3 electric locomotive ran back and forth between Guangtong North Station and Dali Station, marking the successful completion of the hot-rolling test on the entire line.[12] On 18 April, a high-speed comprehensive inspection train departed from Guangtong North Station and began a nearly three-month joint commissioning.[23] Starting from 7 June, the entire line began trial operation according to the operating diagram.[3] At 8:12 on 1 July, the first EMU, D8660, named "Dali", departed from Kunming Station and arrived in Dali at 10:00. The line was officially put into service.[24]

Trains

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CRH380A set from Kunming South to Dali stops at Kunming
 
CRH2G set from Chuxiong to Kunming South at Lufeng South

In the initial period of operation, the line planned to have 21.5 pairs of trains running between Kunming South Station and Dali every day, of which 19.5 pairs were daily trains and 2 pairs were weekend trains, with the shortest travel time being 112 minutes. On average, there was one train every 25 minutes throughout the day, with the shortest departure interval being only 12 minutes.[4] To celebrate the "China Chuxiong 2023 Yi Torch Festival", China Railway Kunming Bureau Group Co., Ltd. decided to add 2 pairs of Torch Festival high-speed trains between Kunming and Chuxiong from 9 to 12 August 2023.[25]

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As there are many ethnic minority communities along the line, the train broadcasts on this line use not only standard Chinese and English, but also Bai and Loloish languages. During holidays, train attendants also wear the distinctive costumes of the ethnic minorities along the line.[4]

Influence

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After the opening of the Kunming-Chuxiong Railway, western Yunnan was connected to China's high-speed rail network, greatly reducing the travel time to Kunming and the southeastern coastal areas . At the same time, the Pan-Asia Railway and China-Myanmar Railway plans also moved forward.

References

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  1. ^ a b "广通至大理铁路扩能改造工程开工建设" [The Guangtong-Dali Railway Capacity Expansion and Reconstruction Project has started construction]. People's Railway (in Chinese). China Railway. 15 September 2010. Archived from the original on 24 October 2014. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
  2. ^ a b c "昆广大铁路进入按图行车试验阶段 下月可开通运营" [Kunming-Guangzhou Railway enters the trial phase of running according to the schedule and will be put into operation next month]. Xinhua News Agency (in Chinese). 7 June 2018. Archived from the original on 14 August 2018. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
  3. ^ a b "昆广大铁路进入按图行车试验阶段 下月可开通运营" [Kunming-Guangzhou Railway enters the trial phase of running according to the schedule and will be put into operation next month] (in Chinese). Xinhuanet. 7 June 2018. Archived from the original on 2018-08-14. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
  4. ^ a b c "超炫！一图读懂昆楚大铁路" [Awesome! A picture to understand the Kunming-Chuxi Railway]. People's Railway (in Chinese). China Railway. 29 June 2018. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
  5. ^ a b "广大铁路扩能改造工程开工 预计2017年5月竣工" [The Guangda Railway Capacity Expansion and Reconstruction Project has started and is expected to be completed in May 2017] (in German). China News Service. 10 December 2012. Archived from the original on 13 December 2012. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
  6. ^ a b "马哈迪突然重提"泛亚铁路"计划" [Mahathir suddenly brings up the Pan-Asian Railway project] (in Chinese). Lianhe Zaobao. 29 July 2018. Archived from the original on 30 July 2018. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
  7. ^ "数据简报:泛亚铁路的由来与现状" [Data Brief: Origin and Current Status of the Pan-Asian Railway]. China Economic Net (in Chinese). 21 October 2013. Archived from the original on 5 October 2015. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
  8. ^ "广昆复线完成投资51亿元 2013年进入铺架阶段" [Guangkun double-track completed investment of 5.1 billion yuan and entered track laying stage in 2013]. Xinhuanet (in Chinese). 28 December 2012. Retrieved 14 August 2024.
  9. ^ "泛亚铁路西线广昆复线秀宁隧道贯通" [Xiuning Tunnel of Guangkun Double Line of Pan-Asia Railway West Line completed]. People's Railway (in Chinese). China Railway. 2 April 2013. Retrieved 14 August 2024.[dead link]
  10. ^ "广昆铁路复线达速施工全面展开" [Construction of Guangkun Railway double track speed-up is in full swing]. People's Railway (in Chinese). China Railway. 26 December 2017. Archived from the original on 26 December 2017. Retrieved 14 August 2024.
  11. ^ "中缅国际铁路楚大铁路安全标准线建设初见成效 开工以来累计完成投资135亿元" [The construction of the safety standard line of the Chuda Railway of the China-Myanmar International Railway has achieved initial results. A total investment of RMB 13.5 billion has been completed since the start of construction.]. Yunnan Net (in Chinese). 22 March 2018. Archived from the original on 22 March 2018. Retrieved 13 August 2024.
  12. ^ a b "中缅国际通道传捷报，又一项试验通过了" [Good news from the China-Myanmar International Channel: Another test has passed]. People's Railway (in Chinese). China Railway. 2018-03-31. Retrieved 13 August 2024.
  13. ^ "广大铁路复线建设已批复立项 昆明到大理只需两小时" [Construction of Guangkun Railway double track speed-up is in full swing]. Yunnan Net (in Chinese). 13 October 2009. Archived from the original on 6 March 2016. Retrieved 13 August 2024.
  14. ^ "广大铁路建成通车" [The railway was completed and opened to traffic] (in Chinese). China Railway 12th Bureau. 2018-10-14. Retrieved 13 August 2024.
  15. ^ a b "不容易！中缅边境的这条隧道终于打通了" [It's not easy! The tunnel on the China-Myanmar border has finally been opened]. People's Railway (in Chinese). China Railway. 7 February 2018. Retrieved 13 August 2024.
  16. ^ "规划建设中的中缅国际铁路通道建设加快推进" [The construction of the China-Myanmar international railway corridor is being accelerated] (in Chinese). Yunnan Net. 1 August 2016. Retrieved 13 August 2024.
  17. ^ "中缅国际铁路通道广大铁路最长隧道贯通" [The longest tunnel of the Guangda Railway on the China-Myanmar International Railway Corridor was completed]. Xinhua News Agency (in Chinese). 3 April 2017. Retrieved 13 August 2024.
  18. ^ "中缅国际铁路通道广大铁路最长隧道普棚一号隧道贯通" [The longest tunnel of the Guangda Railway on the China-Myanmar International Railway Corridor, Pupeng No. 1 Tunnel, was completed]. Yunnan Net. 13 April 2017. Archived from the original on 3 April 2017. Retrieved 13 August 2024.
  19. ^ "中缅国际铁路国内段广大铁路开始铺架" [The domestic section of the Myanmar International Railway has started laying tracks]. People's Railway (in Chinese). China Railway. 17 March 2016. Archived from the original on 22 June 2016. Retrieved 13 August 2024.
  20. ^ "中缅铁路广大段桥梁下部工程完工 预计明年通车" [The substructure of the bridge of the Guangda section of the China-Myanmar Railway has been completed and is expected to open to traffic next year]. People's Railway (in Chinese). China Railway. 2017-06-23. Retrieved 14 August 2024.
  21. ^ "中缅国际通道建设加快 广大铁路接触网全面施工" [The construction of the China-Myanmar International Corridor has accelerated the comprehensive construction of the railway contact network]. People's Railway (in Chinese). China Railway. 17 July 2017. Retrieved 14 August 2024.
  22. ^ "中缅国际通道广大铁路全线铺通" [China-Myanmar International Corridor Guangda Railway is fully paved] (in Chinese). People's Daily. 3 April 2018. Archived from the original on 10 July 2020. Retrieved 14 August 2024.
  23. ^ "昆广大铁路启动联调联试" [Kunming-Guangzhou Railway starts joint commissioning and testing] (in Chinese). 科技日报. 19 April 2018.[dead link]
  24. ^ "这条铁路今天开通！从金马碧鸡到苍山洱海，只要两小时！" [This railway is open today! It only takes two hours to get from Jinma Biji to Cangshan and Erhai Lake!]. People's Railway (in Chinese). China Railway. 1 July 2018. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
  25. ^ "看！高铁专列助燃楚雄彝族火把节" [Look! High-speed rail train helps fuel the Chuxiong Yi Torch Festival]. 度看昆明 (in Chinese). 9 August 2023. Retrieved 14 August 2024.
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