From May 18th to 20th, 2026, China Railway Fourth Survey and Design Institute, together with the Planning and Standards Institute of the State Railway Administration, held a proposal evaluation and industry review meeting for the new Wenshan Jingxi Railway project in Kunming. The Appraisal Center of China Railway Group, relevant departments of Yunnan and Guangxi provinces, Kunming and Nanning Railway Bureau Group of China Railway, design unit China Railway Eryuan Engineering Group Co., Ltd., and representatives of provincial investors such as Yuntou Railway attended the meeting.

The expert group conducted on-site inspections of key nodes such as Funing South Station and Yanshan Industrial Park, and conducted in-depth discussions on the route direction, technical standards, construction scale, and investment control. Eventually, a systematic review opinion was formed, laying a solid foundation for feasibility study approval and construction commencement.

Southwestern sea adds another crucial milestone

The Wenjing Railway is a mainline railway project led by the state and jointly built by the railway and the province. It has been included in the national medium and long-term and 14th Five Year Plan for railway development, and is also an important component of the Houqiao Fangchenggang border railway (Yunnan section) in the Yunnan Province Medium and Long Term Railway Network Plan (2030). The route starts from Mengzi City in the west and ends at Baise, Guangxi in Wenjingshan City. It connects with the under construction Mengwen Railway, linking the Kunyu River, Nankun, Yungui and other main lines, forming a freight and sea transportation channel from southwest to southern China. It is a convenient railway channel connecting Yunnan's border areas with southern coastal areas such as Guangxi and Guangdong.

According to the preliminary design plan, the project will build a new mainline of approximately 282 kilometers, including 79 kilometers in Guangxi and 203 kilometers in Yunnan. The total investment is about 33.6 billion yuan, and the construction period is 5 years. It is planned to be a first-class passenger and freight single track railway of China Railway, with a design speed of 160 kilometers per hour. There are 20 stations along the entire line, including 5 intermediate stations for passenger transportation, 1 section station, and 14 passing stations, and the existing Tianjing Line will be expanded and renovated simultaneously.

At present, the preliminary design survey has been fully completed, and the construction drawing supplementary survey is being promoted, striving to start construction within 2026. The project started the survey and design bidding in September 2022, went through feasibility study and revision review, preliminary design pre review, and was jointly submitted to the National Development and Reform Commission by China Railway Group and Yunnan Guangxi provinces in early 2026. Keywords: transportation, railway

In the first quarter of 2026, the national railway fixed assets investment increased by 12.3% year on year, and the railway construction in southwest China accelerated significantly. After the completion of Wenjing Railway, it will effectively improve the railway network structure of Yunnan, break the bottleneck of freight transport in southeast Yunnan, help Yunnan deeply integrate into the the Belt and Road Initiative, and open a new artery for the border areas to connect with the Guangdong Hong Kong Macao Greater Bay Area and the Beibu Gulf Economic Circle.Editor/Cheng Liting