At 10:40 AM July 5, a Harmony EMU testing train set off from Kunming South Station for a trial run across the Yunnan section of the Shanghai-Kunming High-speed Railway, marking the start of the official count-down for China’s longest east-west high-speed railway.

The Shanghai-Kunming High-speed Railway is a major part of the pan-Asia railway network. The Yunnan section’s total length is 186 kilometres, and includes four stations. The target speed of passenger trains is 300 kilometres per hour, and a speed increase is possible. The construction of the Yunnan section of the Shanghai-Kunming High-speed Railway started in September 2010. When this section goes into operation, Yunnan will join the national high-speed railway network and move closer to China’s coastal areas.

Decoration of the waiting hall inside Kunming South Station has been completed. The square in front of the station is being paved and landscaped and supporting facilities are under construction, while the laid tracks have entered a period of joint debugging and commissioning.