| Box Width: | 300px |
| Other Name: | Darui railway |
| Native Name: | 大瑞铁路 |
| Native Name Lang: | zh |
| Type: | Inter-city rail |
| Status: | Operational |
| Locale: | Yunnan Province |
| Start: | Dali |
| End: | Baoshan (as of July 2022) |
| Stations: | 5 (as of July 2022) |
| Owner: | China Railway |
| Operator: | China Railway Kunming Group |
| Character: | Elevated |
| Stock: | China Railway CR200J |
| Linelength Km: | 336.39 |
| Tracks: | 1 |
| Electrification: | 25 kV 50 Hz AC |
| Speed Km/H: | 140 |
| Map Name: | map_name |
| Map State: | collapsed |
The Dali–Ruili railway or Darui railway (大瑞铁路), is a single-track electrified railway under construction in Yunnan Province of Southwest China. The line is slated to run 336.39km (209.02miles) from Dali to Ruili on the border with Myanmar.[1] [2] The line traverses rugged terrain, and bridges and tunnels will account for 75% of the total track length, including the 34.5 km Gaoligongshan Tunnel through the Gaoligong Mountains.[1]
Construction began in May 2011 and was scheduled to take six years.[1] [2] However, this has been repeatedly delayed, and as of 2019, the railway is scheduled to open only in 2022.[3] [4] The initial section from Dali to Baoshan opened on 22 July 2022. In the same year, the construction of the sector from Baoshan to Pupiao started.
The line will have a design speed of 140km/h.[5] Cities and counties along route include Dali, Yangbi Yi Autonomous County, Yongping County, Baoshan, Pupiao (蒲缥镇), Mangshi and Ruili.
As early as 1938, the British planned to build the Yunnan–Burma railway to connect British rule in Burma with Yunnan Province, but were unable to complete the project.[6]
Originally, the Chinese government proposed a rail connection between Kunming, China and Kyaukpyu, Myanmar. The railway was planned to follow the route of the existing Sino-Myanmar pipelines. After protests in Myanmar, the part of the railway in Myanmar was cancelled.[7] Only the Chinese part of the line between Dali and Ruili will now be constructed.
Construction on the Darui Line began in 2008.[8] In August 2012, the project received an additional investment of ¥5 billion, owing to the difficulty of tunneling through the rugged terrain, particularly the Dazhushan Mountain Tunnel.[8] The huge rivers and geology have given the tunnel the moniker "World's Most Difficult Tunnel".[9]