China completes Shanghai–Kunming High‑Speed Railway

December 28, 2016, marked a major milestone in China’s rapid development of its high‑speed network, as the final segment of the Shanghai–Kunming High‑Speed Railway entered service. Spanning over 2,200 kilometers, the line links the megacities of Shanghai and Hangzhou with the interior provinces of Guizhou and Yunnan, finally reaching the southwestern hub of Kunming. Designed for speeds up to 350 km/h, the corridor dramatically reduced travel time from over 35 hours by conventional rail to roughly 10 hours. The project involved extensive engineering works across some of China’s most challenging terrain, including numerous long tunnels and high‑elevation viaducts. The opening also symbolized China Railway’s strategy of integrating its coastal and interior regions through high‑capacity passenger corridors. The line has since become a key component of China’s national “eight vertical and eight horizontal” high‑speed grid. Its completion on December 28 is part of a long‑standing Chinese practice of commissioning major infrastructure projects during the final week of the year.