Shanghai-Kunming railway
Encyclopedia
The Shanghai-Kunming Railway or Hukun Railway , also known as the Hukun Line, is a major arterial railroad across eastern
, south central
and southwest
China
. It connects Shanghai
, whose shorthand name is Hu, and Kunming
. The line has a total length of 2,690 km and passes through Shanghai Municipality, Zhejiang
, Jiangxi
, Hunan
, Guizhou
and Yunnan
Province. Major cities along route include Shanghai, Jiaxing
, Hangzhou
, Yiwu
, Jinhua
, Shangrao
, Yingtan
, Pingxiang
, Zhuzhou
, Huaihua
, Kaili
, Guiyang
, Anshun
, Qujing
, and Kunming.
from Shanghai's South Station
to Liupanshui
and single-track railway
for about 400 km from Liupanshui to Kunming. The speed limit
for Hukun Line is 200 km/h from Shanghai to Zhuzhou
and it is 120 km/h from Zhuzhou to Huaihua
. The entire line is electrified
.
after heavy rains caused mudslides on the Hukun Line in Jiangxi Province, killing 19 passengers and injuring 71.
East China
East China is a geographical and a loosely-defined cultural region that covers the eastern coastal area of China.Although an intangible and loosely defined concept, for administrative and governmental purposes, the region is defined by the government of the People's Republic of China to include...
, south central
South Central China
South Central China is a region of the People's Republic of China defined by governmental bureaus that includes the provinces of Guangdong, Hainan, Henan, Hubei, and Hunan, and the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, however excluding the 2 special administrative regions : Hong Kong and...
and southwest
Southwest China
Southwest China is a region of the People's Republic of China defined by governmental bureaus that includes the municipality of Chongqing, the provinces of Sichuan, Yunnan and Guizhou, and the Tibet Autonomous Region.-Provinces:-Municipalities:...
China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. It connects Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
, whose shorthand name is Hu, and Kunming
Kunming
' is the capital and largest city of Yunnan Province in Southwest China. It was known as Yunnan-Fou until the 1920s. A prefecture-level city, it is the political, economic, communications and cultural centre of Yunnan, and is the seat of the provincial government...
. The line has a total length of 2,690 km and passes through Shanghai Municipality, Zhejiang
Zhejiang
Zhejiang is an eastern coastal province of the People's Republic of China. The word Zhejiang was the old name of the Qiantang River, which passes through Hangzhou, the provincial capital...
, Jiangxi
Jiangxi
' is a southern province in the People's Republic of China. Spanning from the banks of the Yangtze River in the north into hillier areas in the south, it shares a border with Anhui to the north, Zhejiang to the northeast, Fujian to the east, Guangdong to the south, Hunan to the west, and Hubei to...
, Hunan
Hunan
' is a province of South-Central China, located to the south of the middle reaches of the Yangtze River and south of Lake Dongting...
, Guizhou
Guizhou
' is a province of the People's Republic of China located in the southwestern part of the country. Its provincial capital city is Guiyang.- History :...
and Yunnan
Yunnan
Yunnan is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the far southwest of the country spanning approximately and with a population of 45.7 million . The capital of the province is Kunming. The province borders Burma, Laos, and Vietnam.Yunnan is situated in a mountainous area, with...
Province. Major cities along route include Shanghai, Jiaxing
Jiaxing
Jiaxing is a prefecture-level city in northern Zhejiang province of Eastern China. Lying on the Grand Canal of China, Jiaxing borders Hangzhou to the southwest, Huzhou to the west, Shanghai to the northeast, and the province of Jiangsu to the north....
, Hangzhou
Hangzhou
Hangzhou , formerly transliterated as Hangchow, is the capital and largest city of Zhejiang Province in Eastern China. Governed as a sub-provincial city, and as of 2010, its entire administrative division or prefecture had a registered population of 8.7 million people...
, Yiwu
Yiwu
Yiwu is a city of about 1.2 million people in central Zhejiang Province near the central eastern coast of the People's Republic of China. The city is famous for its small commodity trade and vibrant free markets and is a regional tourist destination...
, Jinhua
Jinhua
Jinhua is a prefecture-level city in central Zhejiang province of Eastern China. It borders the provincial capital of Hangzhou to the northwest, Quzhou to the southwest, Lishui to the south, Taizhou to the east, and Shaoxing to the northeast....
, Shangrao
Shangrao
Shangrao is a medium-sized prefecture-level city located in the northeast of China's Jiangxi province. According to the 2010 Census, Shangrao has a population of 6,579,714 inhabitants....
, Yingtan
Yingtan
Yingtan is a prefecture-level city in the east part of China's Jiangxi province. It borders Fujian province to the east. Its location next to Fujian and its proximity to Zhejiang, have made it a strategically important city for centuries...
, Pingxiang
Pingxiang
Pingxiang may refer to:*Pingxiang, Jiangxi , prefecture-level city in Jiangxi, China*Pingxiang, Guangxi , county-level city in Guangxi, China*Pingxiang County , in Hebei, China...
, Zhuzhou
Zhuzhou
Zhuzhou , formerly Jianning, is a city in Hunan Province, China, southeast of Changsha beside the Xiangjiang River. It is part of the "ChangZhuTan Golden Triangle"...
, Huaihua
Huaihua
-Administration:* Hecheng District 鹤城区* Hongjiang City 洪江市* Hongjiang District 洪江区* Yuanling County 沅陵县* Chenxi County 辰溪县* Xupu County 溆浦县* Zhongfang County 中方县* Huitong County 会同县* Mayang Miao Autonomous County 麻阳苗族自治县...
, Kaili
Kaili
Kaili is a city in Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture, Guizhou province, China. It is the center of Miao culture, hosting more than 120 festivals every year. Kaili has a population of 50,000 and is a major producer of rice....
, Guiyang
Guiyang
Guiyang is the capital of Guizhou province of Southwest China. It is located in the centre of the province, situated on the east of the Yunnan–Guizhou Plateau, and on the north bank of the Nanming River, a branch of the Wu River. The city has an elevation of about 1,100 meters...
, Anshun
Anshun
Anshun is a prefecture-level city in China in the southwestern province of Guizhou where the famous Huangguoshu Waterfall is located. Within the borders of its prefecture one also finds attractions such as Long Gong Dragon Caves and the Getu River. As of 1999, it had a population of 217,215...
, Qujing
Qujing
Qujing is a prefecture-level city in eastern Yunnan province of Southwest China. It is an important industrial city, and is Yunnan's second largest city by population, after Kunming....
, and Kunming.
Line Description
The Hukun Line is double trackDouble track
A double track railway usually involves running one track in each direction, compared to a single track railway where trains in both directions share the same track.- Overview :...
from Shanghai's South Station
Shanghai south railway station
Shanghai South Railway Station, also Shanghai South Station , is a railway station in the city of Shanghai, China. Located in the Xuhui District, its importance is second only to the Shanghai Railway Station...
to Liupanshui
Liupanshui
Liupanshui is a city whose urban area has 251,900 inhabitants in Western Guizhou province in the People's Republic of China. The population of its jurisdictional area has exceeded 2,830,000 as of 2006, and it is the second largest city in Guizhou...
and single-track railway
Single track (rail)
A single track railway is where trains in both directions share the same track. Single track is normally used on lesser used rail lines, often branch lines, where the traffic density is not high enough to justify the cost of building double tracks....
for about 400 km from Liupanshui to Kunming. The speed limit
Speed limit
Road speed limits are used in most countries to regulate the speed of road vehicles. Speed limits may define maximum , minimum or no speed limit and are normally indicated using a traffic sign...
for Hukun Line is 200 km/h from Shanghai to Zhuzhou
Zhuzhou
Zhuzhou , formerly Jianning, is a city in Hunan Province, China, southeast of Changsha beside the Xiangjiang River. It is part of the "ChangZhuTan Golden Triangle"...
and it is 120 km/h from Zhuzhou to Huaihua
Huaihua
-Administration:* Hecheng District 鹤城区* Hongjiang City 洪江市* Hongjiang District 洪江区* Yuanling County 沅陵县* Chenxi County 辰溪县* Xupu County 溆浦县* Zhongfang County 中方县* Huitong County 会同县* Mayang Miao Autonomous County 麻阳苗族自治县...
. The entire line is electrified
Railway electrification system
A railway electrification system supplies electrical energy to railway locomotives and multiple units as well as trams so that they can operate without having an on-board prime mover. There are several different electrification systems in use throughout the world...
.
History
The Shanghai-Kunming Railway has four major segments, which were built over a span of 70 years. In 2006, after the Ministry of Railways rebuilt sections along route and increased train travel speed, the four lines were collectively referred to as one.- Shanghai-Hangzhou Railway (Huhang Line ), 189 km in length, was built between 1906 and 1909 and connects Shanghai and Hangzhou.
- Zhejiang-Jiangxi Railway (Zhegan Line ), 946 km in length, was built between 1899 and 1926 and connected Hangzhou, the capital of Zhejiang Province, with ZhuzhouZhuzhouZhuzhou , formerly Jianning, is a city in Hunan Province, China, southeast of Changsha beside the Xiangjiang River. It is part of the "ChangZhuTan Golden Triangle"...
, in northern HunanHunan' is a province of South-Central China, located to the south of the middle reaches of the Yangtze River and south of Lake Dongting...
province. - Hunan-Guizhou Railway (Xiangqian Line ), 905 km in length, was begun in 1937, halted in 1939 by World War IISecond Sino-Japanese WarThe Second Sino-Japanese War was a military conflict fought primarily between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. From 1937 to 1941, China fought Japan with some economic help from Germany , the Soviet Union and the United States...
, restarted in 1953 and completed in 1975. It runs from Zhuzhou to Guiyang, capital of Guizhou Province. - Guiyang-Kunming Railway (Guikun Line ), 639 km in length, was built between 1958 and 1970, and connects Guiyang and Kunming. It was electrified in 1980.
Accidents
On May 23, 2010 (UTC+8), passenger train derailed2010 Jiangxi train derailment
At around CST 2:10 am on 23 May 2010, train K859 travelling from Shanghai to Guilin derailed in a mountainous area in Dongxiang County, within Fuzhou City, Jiangxi. At least 19 people died, and 71 were injured. A total of at least 53 people were rescued and another 280 were taken from the train...
after heavy rains caused mudslides on the Hukun Line in Jiangxi Province, killing 19 passengers and injuring 71.