The website of Yunnan Development and Reform Commission posted a work plan on major infrastructural projects on June 1, which involves railways, airport, logistics and more. The projects are either under construction or to be launched.

I. Projects under construction

Chongqing-Kunming railway 

The Chongqing-Kunming high-speed railway is designed at a speed of 350 km/h, and it is a double-track electrified railway for high-speed motor train units. 

The 699.3-km railway will be open to traffic by the end of 2025, consuming an investment of 141.6 billion yuan in total.

Yuxi-Mohan railway

As part of the China-Laos Railway, the Yuxi-Mohan rail section passes through Yuxi, Puer, Xishuangbanna and others. 

With a designed speed of 160 km/h, the 508.5 km railway will consume an investment of 51.6 billion yuan. It will be finished to traffic by the end of 2021. 

Expressway for all counties

During the 13th Five-Year Plan period, Yunnan carried out 82 county-level road projects, building up 7,186 kilometers of expressway. The projects cost 601 billion yuan in total. 

By the end of 2020, the expressway mileage in the province will exceed 9,000 kilometers. Over 8,000 kilometers will open to traffic.

Kunming Airport expansion

With an investment of 86.4 billion yuan, the expansion project includes the second airport terminal, air traffic control facilities, oil supply facilities and others. 

Costing 69.5 billion yuan, the new terminal will be finished by 2025.

Lake-conservation

Since 2017, the major Yunnan lakes of Dianchi, Erhai, Fuxian and others have seen all-round eco-restoration, consuming a total investment of 67.7 billion yuan. 

By 2025, 414 km of new sewage pipes will be built up for the lakes, together with sewage treatment plants. 445 km of river sections and 914 hectares of wetland will be cleaned up, and 11,752 residents nearby will be resettled.

Kunming logistics hub

The national logistics project includes the Kunming land port, airport and trade hub.

By 2025, Kunming will be an international logistics hub that connects China to South Asia and Southeast Asia.

Power transmission 

Involving the provinces of Yunnan, Guangxi, Guizhou, Guangxi and Guangdong, the Wudongde power transmission aims to be a UHVDC D model project. An 800 kV and 8 MW converter station, together with a 246-km DC line, will be built up at a cost of 24.3 billion yuan. 

The power transmission project will be basically finished by August 2020 and put into operation in June 2021. 

Dali-Ruili railway

The Dali-Ruili railway is a first-class connectivity project in southwest Yunnan, with a designed speed of 140 km/h and a total length of 330km.

By the end of 2023, fast trains will reach Ruili, a city near the China-Myanmar border.

II. Projects are to be launched 

Kunming-Lijiang high-speed rail

With a designed speed of 350 km/h, the 429.9 km Kunming-Dali-Lijiang high-speed railway is estimated at a cost of 112 billion yuan.

The rail project will be launched in 2022 and finished in 2026.

Kunming second airport

Kunming's Second International Airport will ease the burden of the incumbent Changshui airport, and it is conducive to Kunming's role as an international air hub.

Construction of the new airport will hopefully kick off in 2021 and be finished in ten years. 

Border railway

The 1,087-kilometer railway will link up the Yunnan border localities of Houqiao,Tengchong, Mangshi, Lincang, Mengzi and others. The first-stage investment is estimated at 93.15 billion yuan.

Construction of the border railway will start in 2021 and be completed in 2028.

Expressway network

By 2025, the expressway network will cover 127 counties/cities/districts in Yunnan with a total mileage of 17,215 kilometers.

In the coming five years, 78 new expressway projects will be started in succession with an investment of 1,024 billion yuan. 

Inter-city railway system

The intercity rail system in the central Yunnan will consist of the Kunming-Yuanmou railway (192 km), the Kunming-Luoping railway (185 km), the Qujing-Huize railway (73 km) and the Kunming-Lijiang fast rail (429.9 km).

Work on the rail sections will begin as early as 2021.

Border expressway

Yunnan's border expressway system covers 25 counties in 8 prefectures and cities, linking up the border gates of Houqiao, Ruili, Qingshui River, Mohan, Hekou and others.

The expressways add up to 1,802 kilometers, including the Ruili-Menglian section and the Mengxing -Lvchun section. They form keys for China to connect with neighboring countries.

Cross-border power grid

With an investment of 60 billion yuan, the cross-border grid involves power lines that connect China with Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Bangladesh.

The power grid will increase interconnection among the countries, forming a energy community with shared interest.

5G network

During the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025), the 5G network will cover all counties in the province. Yunnan will build up 200,000 base stations for the 5G network.

With an estimated investment of 50 billion yuan, the facilities will boost the "Digital Yunnan" initiative.

Int’l land freight

Taking Kunming as a logistics hub, the international freight network will allow free flow of cargo between China and the neighbors of Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Bangladesh and India.

By 2035 when the logistics network is built up, Yunnan will be a key freight node for land-sea intermodal freight linking the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean.

Source: Yunnan Daily; trans-editing by Wang Shixue