TheShanghai–Kunming high-speed railway is a high-speed railway line. It was built in stages and completed on 28 December 2016.[1] It is part of theCRH's system of passenger-dedicated lines, beginning inShanghai and ending inKunming, the capital ofYunnan Province. Following a fairly similar route to the older "conventional"Shanghai–Kunming Railway, the Shanghai–Kunming high-speed railway passes through four more provincial capitals, the cities ofHangzhou,Nanchang,Changsha, andGuiyang.[2]
The entire line is operational. The last section, Guiyang–Kunming, was opened on 28 December 2016. In November 2017, Chinese media reported that traffic safety was endangered due to quality issues with the construction; furthermore, the construction company committed fraud and illegal subcontracting. On some sections, operational speeds were reduced from 300 kilometres per hour (190 mph) to 70 kilometres per hour (43 mph), due to some problems in construction, confirmed by the state media.[3]
| Section | Description | Designed speed (km/h) | Length (km) | Construction start date | Open date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shanghai–Kunming high-speed railway | HSR Corridor connectingEast,Central andSouthwest China. It consists of three sections connecting Shanghai,Hangzhou,Changsha andKunming. | 350 | 2,258 | 2009-02-26 | 2016-12-28 |
| Shanghai–Hangzhou section (Shanghai–Hangzhou high-speed railway) | HSR connectingShanghai andHangzhou. | 350 | 150 | 2009-02-26 | 2010-10-26 |
| Hangzhou–Changsha section (Hangzhou–Changsha high-speed railway) | HSR connectingHangzhou &Changsha, viaNanchang. | 350 | 933 | 2009-12-22 | Hangzhou–Nanchang Section: 2014-12-10[4] Nanchang–Changsha Section: 2014-09-16[5] |
| Changsha–Kunming section (Changsha–Kunming high-speed railway) | HSR connectingChangsha &Kunming | 350 | 1,175 | 2010-03-26 | Changsha–Xinhuang Section: 2014-12-16[6] Xinhuang-Guiyang Section: 2015-06-18 Guiyang-Kunming section: 2016-12-28 |
