Kunming – Singapore high-speed line

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Overview of the route variants (yellow: missing sections)

The Kunming-Singapore Railway was the idea of a railroad - high-speed line in standard gauge between Kunming ( China ) and Singapore , via Vientiane ( Laos ), Bangkok ( Thailand ) and Kuala Lumpur ( Malaysia ). In 2011, completion was expected by 2020; the planned length is 4800 km. The implementation of the project was called into question in 2018. The Kunming – Vientiane line is under construction, but as a normal railway line for a maximum speed of 160 km / h, the Bangkok – Nakhon Ratchasima high-speed line and the Singapore – Kuala Lumpur high-speed line are being planned, the remaining sections have no chance of doing so in the medium term for economic reasons Realization.

history

This route has been planned since around 1900, at that time still by the English and French colonial rulers. At that time the construction of the Trans-Siberian Railway across Russia had just progressed.

In the French area, the Yunnan Railway was built between Kunming (China) and Hanoi (North Vietnam) from 1904 to 1910 . The construction of the north-south railway between Hanoi (North Vietnam) and Saigon (South Vietnam), which began in 1899, was completed in 1936. Both routes, as well as the rest of the rail network in Vietnam, are meter gauge.

In the British area, the railway network of the Thai State Railways began, the southern line from Bangkok to Singapore was started in 1900, largely completed by 1917 and the border crossing to Malaysia went into operation in 1921. In Malaysia, the railways on the west coast and east coast have been leading to Singapore since the 19th century. The built rail network in Malaysia and Thailand, and also these routes, is meter gauge.

A meter-gauge route network was built through the plains of Burma (now Myanmar ) in the 19th century. In the 1930s, preparatory work was done for a connection from western Burma to the east with the Yunnan – Burma railway line , which could have connected to the Chinese and Vietnamese network - with the outbreak of the Second World War, however, this work was stopped.

During the war there were several efforts to connect the three subnets, including the Thailand-Burma Railway , also known as the Death Railway . A connection to Phnom Penh was also established, but in post-war Thailand all routes remained unused and fell into disrepair. Within Thailand, only the three railways to the north continued on their own national territory.

In the second half of the 20th century, these three sub-networks remained completely separate, and commercial traffic between the states was carried out via road links. It was not until the 1990s, and especially at the beginning of the 21st century, that renewed efforts were made for new routes, often with the help of Chinese funds, although many construction projects were discontinued due to corruption and construction defects. One of the most visible signs of this construction activity is the First Thai-Laotian Friendship Bridge at the end of the northeast stretch in Thailand, which connects Vientiane in Laos. Although the bridge was opened in 1994, and railway tracks were symbolically laid, operations between Bangkok and Thanaleng (from where minibus shuttles drive the last few kilometers to Vientiane) could not start until 2009.

The more recent considerations of a continuous connection between Singapore and China have been documented since 2000 when the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) proposed connecting Bangkok to Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon) via Phnom Penh. This route forms today's eastern variant. It was planned to convert the already existing single-track line between Kunming and Hanoi into a double-track standard gauge line and to build a high-speed line along the Vietnamese coastal railway. In 2018, the plans had no chance of realization due to political tensions between China and Vietnam.

In 2004, negotiations began on a proposal from China for a western variant, which is based on the old British plans to connect Myanmar with China - but at the southern end to Bangkok it has to go through the jungle again, the old death railway is now from the Vajiralongkorn - flooded dam. The route would have led from Kunming via Dali , Ruili , Mandalay , Rangoon , Bangkok, Kulala Lumpur to Singapore. Although this variant offers a shorter connection from Singapore to China, it is also more difficult to set up. The 1920 km long route from Kunming to Rangoon would have been expanded for 240 km / h. In 2011, a contract was signed with China Railway Engineering Corporation . The line would have been financed mainly by China and would have been operated by a Chinese railway company for 50 years. After protests by the population in Myanmar, the project to build the line was discontinued. Nevertheless, China is building on the stretch from Kunming to the border with Myanmar. The Kunming – Dali section went into operation in 2018 as a high-speed line for 200 km / h, while the Dali – Ruili section is struggling with problems, so that it is also known as the railway from hell . This section is only being expanded for 160 km / h and is therefore a conventional railway line.

In 2007, a third planning variant was added to ASEAN at the Chinese suggestion, which leads from Bangkok via Nakhon Ratchasima centrally via Laos to China. Railway operations, which reached Laos in 2009, will then continue northwards. In Laos, about 425 km are still missing between the capital Vientiane and Kunming in China. Through an agreement with Laos, China had pledged to cover 70% of the costs of 7 billion US dollars for the Vientiane – Boten route (on the border with China), but this became obsolete following corruption allegations in 2011. The Laotian government is pushing the planning ahead, however, and is aiming for the 160 km / h railway line to open in 2021 - six years after the original schedule and not as a high-speed line.

All lines that were previously operated with meter gauge, often completely outdated railways, are to be upgraded to standard gauge with Chinese money in the future, and then allow high-speed traffic between Singapore and China. The expansion would affect a rail network of 5500 km on the eastern variant. When this will be implemented is still completely open - the high-speed line in Vietnam , which was once planned with Japanese money, was dropped after initial deliberations in 2010 due to the high price.

The Chinese government is still keen to improve economic access to the Southeast Asian market and to promote its Yunnan region. Well equipped with project funds, the planning can continue to be advanced. These are supported by governments through agreements with ASEAN. China divides the planning into four main sections, from Kunming to Vientiane, from Vientiane to Bangkok, from Bangkok to Kuala Lumpur, and from Kuala Lumpur to Singapore - if completed as a high-speed line, the connection could then be managed with a travel time of 10 hours. A milestone is the ceremonial handover of the planning documents between Thailand and Laos in March 2015, which concern a double-track standard-gauge line in Laos, which can then be continued to Bangkok. The ongoing renewal of the Thai route network with the resolution of 2014 does not currently include any high-speed routes (a maximum of 160 km / h are planned), but the later expansion for high-speed routes is planned.

The route from Laos to Bangkok was confirmed in July 2015 at a meeting of the joint Sino-Thai planning commission and the start of construction was announced for 2015. The 850 km long route should have been designed with two tracks, with one track for meter gauge and the other for standard gauge. The first construction phases should be completed in 2017. Later, however, there were disputes between China, Thailand and Laos over the financing of the building. Thailand decided to finance its part of the route itself, with only the high-speed line Bangkok – Nakhon Ratchasima to be built for the time being. The continuation of the route to the border with Laos is to be decided at a later date.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Kunming-Singapore High-Speed ​​Railway begins construction. In: People's Daily. April 25, 2011, accessed September 2, 2018 .
  2. ^ Work begins on Kunming to Singapore high-speed railway . May 16, 2011 ( theiet.org [accessed September 2, 2018]).
  3. ↑ a b c d e f Fact Sheet: Kunming-Singapore High Speed ​​Rail Network . In: Geopolitical Monitor (Ed.): Geopolitical Monitor . December 19, 2017 ( geopoliticalmonitor.com [accessed September 2, 2018]).
  4. ↑ Bullet train to Dali to begin running July 1 . In: GoKunming . June 11, 2018 ( gokunming.com [accessed September 2, 2018]).
  5. ↑ http://www.rfa.org/english/news/laos/railway-04262011171130.html
  6. ↑ http://www.themalaymailonline.com/travel/article/singapore-to-kunming-by-high-speed-rail-in-10-hours-video
  7. ↑ http://www.vientianetimes.org.la/sub-new/Previous_060/FreeContent/FreeConten_Savannakhet.htm
  8. ↑ https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/aug/01/thailand-junta-approve-china-rail-link-23bn
  9. ↑ Officials: China-Thailand railway construction to begin this year Reporter: Martin Lowe, CCTV.com. 2015-07-05-2015.

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