Kunming–Singapore railway
Proposed train service in Southeast Asia / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Kunming–Singapore railway, also referred to as the Pan-Asian Railway, is a network of railways that connects China, Singapore and all the countries of mainland Southeast Asia. The concept originated with the British and French colonial empires, which sought to link the railways they had built in southwest China, Indochina and Malaya, but international conflicts in the 20th century kept regional railways fragmented. The idea was formally revived in October 2006 when 18 Asian and Eurasian countries signed the Trans-Asian railway Network Agreement, which incorporated the Kunming–Singapore railway into the Trans-Asian railway network.
Kunming–Singapore railway | |
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Overview | |
Status |
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Locale | |
History | |
Opened | 1 July 1918 (1918-07-01) (Bangkok–Padang Besar section) 31 July 1958 (1958-07-31) (Bangkok–Nong Khai section) 3 May 1932 (1932-05-03) (Padang Besar–Singapore section) 5 March 2009 (2009-03-05) (Nong Khai–Thanaleng section)[3] 3 December 2021 (2021-12-03) (Kunming–Vientiane section)[4][5] |
Technical | |
Line length | 3,900 km (2,400 mi) |
Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge (Kunming–Vientiane) 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in) metre gauge (Indochina) |
Electrification | 25 kV 50/60 Hz AC (Kunming–Vientiane section and KTM ETS) |
The network consists of three main routes from Kunming, China to Bangkok, Thailand: the Eastern route via Vietnam and Cambodia; the Central route via Laos, and the Western route via Myanmar. The southern half of the network from Bangkok to Singapore has been operational since 1918. The Central route opened on 3 December 2021, with the opening of the Yuxi–Mohan railway and Boten–Vientiane railway linking with the other operational segments of the route,[6] which formally connected Kunming and Singapore directly by rail. There have been plans for high-speed railway constructions, though only one line (between Bangkok and Nakhon Ratchasima) has since entered the construction phase.
The railway network is expected to increase regional economic integration and increase China's economic ties with Southeast Asia.