Dali–Ruili Railway

The Dali–Ruili Railway or Darui Railway (simplified Chinese: 大瑞铁路; traditional Chinese: 大瑞鐵路; pinyin: dàruì tiělù), is a single-track electrified railroad under construction in Yunnan Province of Southwest China. The line is slated to run 336.39 km (209 mi) from Dali in central Yunnan to Ruili in southwestern Yunnan on the border with Myanmar.[1][2] The line traverses rugged terrain, and bridges and tunnels will account for 75% of the total track length, including a 36-km tunnel through the Gaoligong Mountains.[1] Construction began in May 2011 and is scheduled to take six years.[1][2] Cities and towns along route include Dali, Yangbi Yi Autonomous County, Yongping County, Baoshan, Mang City (also known as Mangshi or Dehong) and Ruili.

History

As early as 1938, the British planned to build the Yunnan–Burma Railway to connect its colony Burma with Yunnan Province, but were unable to complete the project.[3]

Originally, the Chinese government proposed a rail connection between Kunming, China and Kyaukpyu, Myanmar. The railway was planned to follow the route of the existing Sino-Myanmar pipelines. After protests in Myanmar, the part of the railway in Myanmar was cancelled.[4] Only the Chinese part of the line between between Dali and Ruili will now be constructed.

Construction on the Darui Line began in 2008.[5] In August 2012, the project received an additional investment of Y5 billion, owing to the difficulty of tunneling through the rugged terrain.[5]

Trans-Asian Railway

The Dali–Ruili Railway will form the western route of China's rail link with Southeast Asia and is expected to be connected with the railways of Myanmar.[6][7]

Rail connections

See also

References

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