The Nanning–Kunming railway, or Nankun railway (), is a single-track

electrified Electrification is the process of powering by electricity and, in many contexts, the introduction of such power by changing over from an earlier power source. The broad meaning of the term, such as in the history of technology, economic history ...

railway Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...

Southwest The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each sepa ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

between

Nanning Nanning (; ; za, Namzningz) is the capital and largest city by population of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in Southern China. It is known as the "Green City" because of its abundance of lush subtropical foliage. Located in the South of ...

and

Kunming Kunming (; ), also known as Yunnan-Fu, is the capital and largest city of Yunnan province, China. It is the political, economic, communications and cultural centre of the province as well as the seat of the provincial government. The headquar ...

, provincial capitals, respectively, of

Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Guangxi (; ; alternately romanized as Kwanghsi; ; za, Gvangjsih, italics=yes), officially the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region (GZAR), is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China, located in South China and bordering Vietnam ( ...

and

Yunnan Province Yunnan , () is a landlocked province in the southwest of the People's Republic of China. The province spans approximately and has a population of 48.3 million (as of 2018). The capital of the province is Kunming. The province borders the C ...

. The railway was built from December 24, 1990, to March 18, 1997, and has a total length of , including the main line of between Nanning and Kunming and a branch line from Weishe Township of Xingyi City to Hongguo Township of

Liupanshui Liupanshui () is a city in western Guizhou province, People's Republic of China. The name Liupanshui combines the first character from the names of each of the city's three constituent counties: Liuzhi, Panzhou, Shuicheng. As a prefecture-level ...

municipality, in Guizhou province.(Chinese
"南昆铁路建成通车" ''China Radio International''
2004-03-18 The Nankun Railway is a major rail conduit in

Southwest China Southwest China () is a region in the south of the People's Republic of China. Geography Southwest China is a rugged and mountainous region, transitioning between the Tibetan Plateau to the west and the Chinese coastal hills (东南丘陵) and ...

. Major cities and towns along route include Nanning,

Baise Baise (; local pronunciation: ), or Bose, is the westernmost prefecture-level city of Guangxi, China bordering Vietnam as well as the provinces of Guizhou and Yunnan. The city has a population of 4.3 million, of which 1.4 million live in the urba ...

, Xingyi, Luoping and Kunming. The Qingshuihe Railway Bridge (Qingshui River Railway Bridge) carries the railway across the deep gorge of the Quigshui River. It is one of the highest bridges in the world and the fifth-highest railway bridge. The bridge is high and has a main span. The bridge opened in 2000. The Nanning–Kunming railway provides the shortest railway connection between Yunnan Province and China's sea ports on the

Tonkin Gulf The Gulf of Tonkin is a gulf at the northwestern portion of the South China Sea, located off the coasts of Tonkin (northern Vietnam) and South China. It has a total surface area of . It is defined in the west and northwest by the northern ...

, such as

Fangchenggang Fangchenggang ( ''The port of Fangcheng'') is a prefecture-level city in the south of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, People's Republic of China. The city was formerly called "Fangcheng Pan-Ethnicities Autonomous County" (25 December 1978 – ...

and Beihai, thus playing a role somewhat similar to that played by the Kunming–Hai Phong railway before

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

Rail connections

: Hunan–Guangxi railway *

Tiandong Tiandong County(, za, Denzdungh Yen) is a county of Guangxi, China. It is under the administration of the prefecture-level city of Baise. Demographics Tiandong's population was 411,500(2010). 85.22% of the people belong to the Zhuang ethnic gro ...

: the Tiandong- Debao branch (open 2010), primarily used by the bauxite mining industry.广西田德铁路开通运营两年货物发送达２８０万吨
''Xinhua'', 2011-11-27 * Weishe ( Xingyi):

Weishe–Hongguo railway The Weishe–Hongguo railway or Weihong railway (), is a branch railroad of the Nanning–Kunming railway in Guizhou province of Southwest China. The Weihong Line branches off of the main Nankun Line at Weishe Township in Xingyi municipality and ...

Shanghai–Kunming railway 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 ...

Neijiang–Kunming railway The Neijiang–Kunming railway or Neikun railway (), is a single-track railroad between Neijiang and Kunming in Southwest China. The line runs from Neijiang in Sichuan province to Kunming in Yunnan province through western Guizhou province ...

Chengdu–Kunming railway The Chengdu–Kunming railway or Chengkun railway (), 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 long and traverses rugged ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nanning-Kunming Railway Railway lines in China Rail transport in Guangxi Rail transport in Guizhou Rail transport in Yunnan Xingyi, Guizhou

Rail connections

See also

References