| Kunming Rail Transit | |
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| Info | |
| Locale | Kunming, Yunnan, China |
| Transit type | Rapid Transit |
| Number of lines | 3 (under construction) |
| Number of stations | 51 |
| Operation | |
| Operation will start | 2012 or 2013 |
| Operator(s) | Kunming Metro Corporation |
| Technical | |
| Kunming Rail Transit | |||||||
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| Simplified Chinese | 昆明轨道交通 | ||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 昆明軌道交通 | ||||||
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Kunming Rail Transit or Kunming Metro is a rapid transit system currently under construction in Kunming, the capital of Yunnan. With a population just over 3 million, Kunming is one of the largest cities in China without a metro system. The system will initially consist of 2 lines, with a further 4 proposed. The metro will consist of subway segments in the city centre and above ground grade-separated segments in the periphery.
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The streets of Kunming have long been congested and there have been talks of a subway system for almost a decade. A 2006 proposal would have seen construction start in 2008 with a north-south line and an east-west line. The current rapid transit system was first announced in 2009, with construction scheduled to start later that year. The proposed routes not only serve commuters in Kunming city centre, but will help encourage development to the city's southeast. The suburb of Chenggong has been the site of a recent construction boom, although most new developments are still unoccupied without adequate transit connections. Thus, the Kunming Metro will serve the dual purpose of alleviating traffic problems in the city's core, and encouraging growth the southeast. A future phase of the metro will also connect with the new Kunming Xiaoshao International Airport to the east.
Construction on lines 1 and 2 officially began in May 2010, after months of delays. An elevated test section had been under construction since 2009. Lines 1 and 2 were scheduled to open in 2012, but with delays, it is estimated they won't open until early 2013. Construction on line 3 began in August 2010 and is expected to be completed in 2016.[1] The entire system consisting of 6 lines is estimated to be complete by 2018.
Construction of Line 1 is expected to cost as much as 32 billion yuan (US$4.5 billion), with each kilometer of above-ground light rail costing around 250 million yuan and each kilometer of underground subway expected to cost between 400 million and 800 million yuan. All rail lines within Erhuan Lu (Kunming's second ring road) will be underground.
The primary contractor is China Railway Construction Corporation (CRCC).
The first phase will consist of lines 1 and 2.
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