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Chengdu–Kunming railway

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The Chengdu–Kunming railway or Chengkun railway (simplified Chinese: 成昆铁路; traditional Chinese: 成昆鐵路; pinyin: chéngkūn tiělù), is a major trunkline railroad in southwestern China between Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan Province and Kunming, the capital of Yunnan Province. The line is 1,134 km (705 mi) long and traverses rugged terrain from the Sichuan Basin to the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau.[1] The line was built between 1958 and 1970, with much of the work coming during the Third Front campaign to develop industry in China's interior. Major cities along route include Chengdu, Pengshan, Jiajiang, Emei, Ebian, Ganluo, Xide, Xichang, Dechang, Miyi and Panzhihua in Sichuan Province and Yuanmou, Lufeng, Anning and Kunming in Yunnan Province.

Chengdu–Kunming railway
Guancunba Station, on the old line next to the Dadu River (downstream of the Niuri River Valley), in Jinkouhe District, Leshan.
Overview
Other name(s)Chengkun railway
Native name成昆铁路
StatusOperational
OwnerChina Railway
LocaleSouthwest China
Termini
Service
TypeHeavy rail
Operator(s)
History
Opened1 January 1971 (1971-01-01)
Completed1 July 1970 (1970-07-01)
Closure of Huapengzi–Huangguayuan section of old line26 May 2020 (2020-05-26)
Completion of new line26 December 2022 (2022-12-26)
Technical
Line length900 km (560 mi)
Number of tracks2
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Electrification25 kV 50 Hz AC overhead line
Operating speed200 km/h (120 mph)
New line

Legend
km
elev
Up arrow Baoji–Chengdu railway from Baoji
0
 Chengdu
4
 Bali
Right arrow Xi'an–Chengdu HSR from Xi'an North
Right arrow Chengdu–Chongqing railway to Chongqing
15
 Chengdu East
Right arrow Chengdu–Chongqing ICR to Chongqing
 Chengdu South
Left arrow Chengdu west loop
Left arrow Chengdu–Guiyang HSR
32
 Shuangliu
42
Gongxing
Right arrow to Chengdu North marshalling yard
Hualongmen
54
Puxing
 Huilong'an
↑Chengdu／Meishan↓
→Min→
66
Qinglongchang
77
 Pengshan
UpperLeft arrow Chengdu–Guiyang HSR
85
Taihe
92
 Meishan／Meishan East
102
 Xiantan
Down arrow
Chengdu–Guiyang HSR
to Guiyang East
110
 Simeng
↑Meishan／Leshan↓
119
Wuchang
129
Macun
original Chengdu–Kunming line
137
 Leshan North
original Chengdu–Kunming line
destroyed in the 1970s
→Qingyi→
original replacement track
145
 Shuangfu
156
 Emei
Left arrow
Chengdu–Guiyang HSR
(Emeishan branch)
Right arrow
160
 Yangang
Left arrow
Chengdu–Panzhihua section
(part of the original line)
 Shawan South
Fandianzi
Ebian South
Jinkouhe South
↑Leshan／Liangshan Yi↓
 Teke
Ganluo South
Mantan
Yuexi South
Anluo
Xide West
Right arrow Emei–Panzhihua railway
 Mianning
Right arrow Emei–Panzhihua railway
 Yuehua West
Xichang West
Youjun
Right arrow Huangshuitang link
 Huangshuitang South
Dechang West
Yonglang West
↑Liangshan Yi／Panzhihua↓
Left arrow Miyi East link
 Miyi East
Left arrow Miyi East link
Binggu East
Yanbian
old line
Jinsha River
Chengdu–Lijiang expressway
Right arrow Panzhihua–old line link
Puda
Panzhihua South
Xianfeng ying
↑Panzhihua Sichuan／Chuxiong Yi Yunnan↓
 Yongren
Xinkang
Right arrow
Yuanmou-Kunming section from
Huangguayuan (part of the original line)
 Yuanmou West
LowerRight arrow Yuanmou–Kunming railway
 Dashucun
Longchuan
Hangzhou–Ruili Expressway
Dianwei
Yuanmou–Kunming railway
Left arrow Guangtong–Chuxiong–Dali railway from Dali
 Guangtong North
Lufeng South
↑Chuxiong Yi／Kunming↓
 Shuangmeicun
1068
Wenquan
Left arrow Xinyamei Guwuliu freght yard line
Left arrow Kunming–Zhongyicun railway
Left arrow Anning line
1077
Dushupu
1086
Bijiguan
1091
Kunming West
Right arrow Yunnan Copper siding
1100
 Kunming
Right arrow Shanghai–Kunming railway to Guiyang
Down arrow Nanning–Kunming railway to Nanning
km
This diagram:
Fala Spiral of Chengdu–Kunming railway
A memorial for workers who lost their lives in the construction of the railway in Jianshui County.

Construction of a largely new double-track line started in 2010 and was completed on 26 December 2022.[2] A northern section of the old line was called the Emei–Panzhihua railway, but since the completion of the new line has been called the Chengdu–Panzhihua (shortened to Chengpan) section of the line and a southern section was called the Yuanmou–Kunming railway, but is now called the Yuanmou-Kunming section of the line.

History

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The construction of the Luosuoguan Anning River Bridge on the Emei–Miyi double-track section in northern Dechang County, Sichuan, in August 2019.

Planning of the Chengdu–Kunming railway began in 1952 with several routes under consideration.[1] An eastern route would have run via Neijiang, Zigong, Yibin, Shuifu, Yanjin. Yiliang, Malong and Songming. A central route would have taken a similar route as far as Yibin and continued via Pingshan, Suijiang, Yongshan, Daguan, Qiaojia, Huize, Dongchuan and Songming. A western route would run via Meishan, Leshan, Ebian Yi, Ganluo, Xide, Xichang, Dechang, Huili and Guangtong. Soviet advisers recommended the central route as they considered the western route to be too difficult to build, because of its geography and geology, and that it could not be maintained because it would be prone to flooding, mudslides and earthquakes. Nevertheless, a committee headed by Zhou Enlai preferred the western route and this was eventually confirmed. It was considered to give access to important mineral deposits, passed through areas inhabited by ethnic minorities and had advantages for national defence.

The eastern route was later used for much of the Neijiang–Kunming railway, which was completed in 2001. The central route has similarities to the route of the under construction Chongqing–Kunming high-speed railway.

Construction began in 1958 during the Great Leap Forward and expanded to full-scale in 1964. Much of the construction occurred as a focus of the Third Front campaign to develop basic industry and national defense industry in China's interior;[3]: 134  this campaign was accelerated when fears of possible American invasion increased after the Gulf of Tonkin incident.[3]: 7  The only rail connection to Kunming at that time ran through North Vietnam. In July 1970, the line was completed and entered into operation in January 1971.[1] Because it was built as part of the secretive Third Front campaign pursuant to the view that it had to be kept hidden from China's geopolitical rivals, completion of the railway was not announced or promoted.[3]: 134 

The government published a pictorial in 1976 showing pictures of the construction and extreme terrain that required hundreds of tunnels and bridges.[4] Building conditions were hazardous and 2,100 workers perished during the construction of the original line.[5]

On August 30, 2000, the entire line was electrified.[1]

Aside from Chengdu and Kunming, the old line had a total of 122 stations,[1][6] although many of these are now closed for passengers and some for freight operations. Four stations on either side of the Jinsha River (Yangtze) crossing were inundated by the Wudongde Dam in 2020.

On 14 August 2019, a major landslide occurred near Adai station, killing 17 staff involved in rescue and disaster relief.[7][8] After emergency repairs on the affected section, freight trains and daytime passenger trains resumed operation on 25 October and 2 December of the same year respectively.[9] It was decided to build the 1.5-kilometre-long (0.93 mi) Yandai Tunnel to avoid the landslide-affected section. The project started on 7 September 2019. It was suspended due to the 2020 Lunar New Year holiday and the impact of the Covid 19 epidemic. It resumed on 10 February 2020 and was completed on 9 March[10] and 26 April.

Cultural significance

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Academic Covell F. Meyskens writes that the Chengdu-Kunming railway serves as a symbol of the Communist Party's technical ability to remake the Chinese landscape in accord with its own vision, comparing its function in this regard to the Ten Great Buildings.[3]: 134 

Sculpture

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Ivory carving of the Chengdu-Kunming railway presented as a gift to the United Nations on display at UN Headquarters in New York.

In 1974, an ivory sculpture commemorating the completion of the Chengdu–Kunming railway was presented as a gift to the United Nations and is displayed at the U.N. Headquarters in New York.[11] The sculpture depicts the rail bridge across the Dadu River between two mountain peaks, with intricate details of passengers inside the train.[12] The sculpture, 150 cm (59 in) in length and 110 cm (43 in) in height, was made from eight elephant tusks and weighs over 300 kilograms (660 lb).[11]

Railway junctions

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The Chengkun railway is a major trunkline in China's railway network and connects with numerous other railway lines including:[6]

Sichuan Province

Yunnan Province

Natural Disaster Vulnerability

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Four sections of the railroad which pass through the Niuri River Valley, Manshuiwan to Xichang of the Anning River Valley, Jinsha River Valley and Longchuan River Valley are under the exposure of the vulnerable debris flow and landslide. Soviet experts used to make a prediction that the railroad "will be turned into a pile of scrap iron by violent nature even after it is completed" in the route design stage;[13] An Imagery Analysis Service Note published by CIA in October 1971 made a statement that "[the railroad] will undoubtedly require more than the normal maintenance because of the rugged terrain it passes through" based on the detection of at least two replacement works of the destroyed tracks caused by landslides in the first year of its operation.[14]

Upon operation, major natural disasters did not occur in the Anning River Valley and Longchuan River Valley section due to the considered route selection and adequate protection strategies adopted. However, the section through the Niuri River Valley that had a faster river flow—due to its short, steep channel and unstable valley side slope—was not given sufficient consideration during the construction period. Multiple incidents of debris flow have occurred in the Niuri River Valley section especially between Niri and Suxiong and between Lianghong and Aidai.[15]

New line

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In the early 21st century, with local economic growth, the single-track Chengdu-Kunming Railway had become congested. In order to create more capacity, the line was replaced by a double track-line with longer tunnels and viaducts, although the original track was generally retained as one of the two tracks between Chengdu and Emei. The new line is 900 kilometres (560 mi) long, with a design speed of 160 to 200 kilometres per hour (99 to 124 mph) and cost 55.2 billion yuan to build in total. Most of the new line runs near the old line, but on some sections of the route is significantly shortened and straightened. Therefore, the new line is nearly 200 kilometres (120 mi) shorter than the old 1,091-kilometre (678 mi) line. Trains now take only about 7 hours from Chengdu to Kunming.[16]

Work on the new line commenced in 2010. Double-tracking of the section between Hualongmen and Pengshan was completed in June 2017.[17] The final 384-kilometre (239 mi)-long section between Emei and Miyi was completed on 26 December 2022.[2]

A northern section of the old line was called the Emei–Panzhihua railway (shortened to E-Pan railway), but changed on completion of the full line to the Chengdu–Panzhihua (shortened to Chengpan) branch of the Chengdu–Kunming railway. A southern section was called the Yuanmou–Kunming railway (shortened to Yuankun railway), but is now called the Yuanmou-Kunming section of the line. The section of the old line between Huapengzi (south of Panzhihua) and Huangguayuan (north of Yuanmou) has been closed and flooded by the Wudongde Dam.

The new line is designed mainly for freight. It is proposed that high-speed passenger services between Chengdu and Kunming will be provided by the Chengdu–Chongqing intercity railway (completed in 2015) from Chengdu to Neijiang North, the Chengdu–Yibin high-speed railway (opened in 2023) from Chengdu East to Yibin, and the Chongqing–Kunming high-speed railway (approved by the National Development and Reform Commission in 2019) from Yibin to Kunming.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e 《中国铁路线》 P25-26 Last Accessed 2011-07-31
  2. ^ a b "新成昆铁路带来发展新面貌" [The new Chengdu–Kunming Railway brings a new look to development]. Weicai News Network (in Chinese). 25 December 2022. Archived from the original on 31 December 2022. Retrieved 25 October 2023.
  3. ^ a b c d Meyskens, Covell F. (2020). Mao's Third Front: The Militarization of Cold War China. Cambridge, United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press. doi:10.1017/9781108784788. ISBN 978-1-108-78478-8. OCLC 1145096137. S2CID 218936313.
  4. ^ "Mountains and Rivers Make Way: The Chengtu-Kunming Railroad in Photographs," published by the Foreign Languages Press (Peking: 1976).
  5. ^ (Chinese) "成昆铁路：生命铺就的英雄史诗" Archived May 23, 2011, at the Wayback Machine Last Accessed 2011-07-31
  6. ^ a b Quail Map Company (2008). China railway Atlas (third ed.). Quail Map Company. ISBN 978-1-898319-82-5.
  7. ^ "成昆铁路凉红至埃岱站间岩体崩塌致部分抢险人员失联" (in Chinese). 搜狐网. 14 August 2019. Archived from the original on 3 April 2020. Retrieved 29 December 2013.
  8. ^ "成昆铁路突发山体崩塌：24人正抢险 其中13人失联" (in Chinese). 新浪新闻. 14 August 2019. Archived from the original on 6 January 2021. Retrieved 29 December 2013.
  9. ^ "成昆铁路12月2日起恢复旅客列车 成都西昌间朝发夕至" (in Chinese). 四川在线. 30 November 2019. Archived from the original on 6 January 2021. Retrieved 29 December 2013.
  10. ^ "好消息！成昆铁路甘洛段抢险改线工程埃岱隧道贯通了" (in Chinese). 四川在线. 9 March 2020. Archived from the original on 6 January 2021. Retrieved 29 December 2013.
  11. ^ a b "Chinese Ivory Carving" UN.org Archived August 24, 2011, at the Wayback Machine Last Accessed 2011-07-31
  12. ^ "China Presents Ivory Carving to United Nations" Last Accessed 2011-07-31
  13. ^ "成昆铁路40年 与灾害正面交锋的40年". 云南网 昆明铁道报 (in Chinese). 新浪网. 2010-07-13.
  14. ^ "Construction of Cheng-tu/Kun-ming Rail Line was a Major Engineering Accomplishment" (PDF). Imagery Analysis Service Note. CIA. 1971-10-08. p. 2 – via Freedom of Information Act Electronic Reading Room. .
  15. ^ 严壁玉; 王茂靖 (2005). "穿越"地质博物馆"的成昆铁路". 铁道工程学报 (in Chinese). doi:10.3969/j.issn.1006-2106.2005.z1.027.
  16. ^ "成昆铁路复线年内开工 2014年建成" [Construction of the Chengdu-Kunming railway double track will start within the year and will be completed in 2014] (in Chinese (China)). News.163.com. 15 March 2009. Archived from the original on 18 October 2012. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
  17. ^ "成昆铁路复线花龙门至彭山段通车[组图]" [Chengkun Railway Complex Hualongmen to Pengshan Section Opens to Traffic]. 图片中国 (in Chinese). 22 June 2017. Retrieved 11 March 2021.
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