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 2690 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.

Line description

The Hukun Line is double track from Shanghai's South Station to Liupanshui and single-track railway for about 400 km from Liupanshui to Kunming. The speed limit for the line is 200 km/h from Shanghai to Zhuzhou and 120 km/h from Zhuzhou to Huaihua. The entire line is electrified. The Shanghai–Kunming high-speed railway runs parallel to the Shanghai–Kunming Railway.

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.

Accidents

On May 23, 2010 (UTC+8), a passenger train derailed after heavy rains caused mudslides on the Hukun Line in Jiangxi Province, killing 19 passengers and injuring 71.