Satellite image of the China-Laos Railway: How this "mountain and river miracle" was built

On December 3, the China-Laos Railway was fully opened to traffic. This is the first international railway after the Belt and Road Initiative was proposed that is mainly invested and constructed by China, adopts Chinese technical standards throughout the line, uses Chinese equipment, and is directly connected to the Chinese railway network.

According to the relevant person in charge of China Railway Corporation, the total length of China-Laos Railway is 1,035 kilometers, of which the Kunming-Yuxi section is 106 kilometers long and was completed and opened to traffic in December 2016. The newly built Yuxi-Mohan section is 507 kilometers long, and the newly built Mohan-Vientiane section is 422 kilometers long.

The railway is surrounded by high mountains and deep valleys, with complex geology. It crosses many water systems and has a high ratio of bridges to tunnels. It is known as a railway that "either runs through a tunnel or through the air."

The builders from China and Laos overcame various difficulties and completed 167 tunnels including the Anding Tunnel and the Friendship Tunnel, and built 301 bridges including the Yuanjiang Bridge, with a total length of 712 kilometers of new tunnels and bridges. In the early stage of the operation of the China-Laos Railway, 25 stations including Kunming, Yuxi, Pu'er, Xishuangbanna, Mengsai, Luang Prabang and Vientiane were put into operation.

By retrieving satellite data of the railway stations and bridges on the China-Laos Railway, one can intuitively feel the difficulty of building this railway. A construction worker said: "The China-Laos Railway was not paved, but built and dug." People along the line also said figuratively: "The China-Laos Railway is either in the sky (bridge) or in a cave (tunnel), and you can see it at the station."

For the construction staff, the Yun-Mo section of the China-Laos Railway is "too difficult to build." The Yun-Mo section is more than 500 kilometers long and is located in the collision and suture zone between the Indian Plate and the Eurasian Plate. From north to south, it crosses the "three mountains" of Mopan Mountain, Ailao Mountain, and Wuliang Mountain, and crosses the "four rivers" of Yuanjiang River, Amo River, Babian River, and Lancang River, with a total of 136 bridges built.

Satellites record the construction process of these bridges from scratch. These bridges look like "silver threads" from space, but are shocking "mountain and river miracles" when viewed up close, demonstrating the courage and strength of "building bridges over water".

▲A satellite view of the bridges along the China-Laos Railway

From a satellite perspective, the Yuanjiang Bridge on the China-Laos Railway appears particularly magnificent among the mountains. The "touch of red" across the river is still clearly visible, and even the shadows of the huge bridge piers can be seen in the sunlight.

▲Satellite image shows the difficulty of building the Yuanjiang Bridge

The total length of the bridge is about 832 meters, and the highest pier No. 3 is 154 meters, which is equivalent to the height of more than 50-story buildings, posing a great challenge to the builders. "The deep canyon terrain makes the construction site narrow, there are many faults and landslides at the bottom of the piers, the rock mass is broken, and the ground cannot bear such a heavy weight." Zhou Jiawu, chief engineer of the Yuanjiang Bridge project of Yunnan-Mo Railway of China Railway Fourth Engineering Bureau, said that after many expert demonstrations, the construction plan of two reinforced concrete hollow piers connected horizontally by the pier top beam and the middle "X"-shaped steel structure was finally determined, which effectively reduced the weight of the piers themselves while ensuring that the load-bearing capacity meets the standards.

In addition, the builders are also very proud of the Olive Dam Bridge. The Olive Dam Bridge is the longest bridge on the entire China-Laos Railway. In satellite images, the 3.5-kilometer-long bridge is as thin as a silver line, drawing an arc in the dam, crossing fields, fish ponds, banana trees and rubber forests from east to west. "The bridge is built to reduce damage to the surrounding ecosystem, reduce the occupation of arable land, and build a scenic line that is as beautiful as the mountains and rivers and adds color to tourism." Yang Fan, chief engineer of the Yunnan-Mo Railway Project Department of China Railway 22nd Bureau Second Engineering Co., Ltd., said.

▲Satellite visually shows the longest bridge on the entire China-Laos Railway - Ganlanba Bridge

**After the opening of the China-Laos Railway, it will only take more than 3 hours to travel from Kunming, Yunnan to Jinghong, and direct transportation to Vientiane, Laos is expected to be realized on the same day. **The history of Pu'er City and Xishuangbanna Prefecture in Yunnan Province without railways has ended. From the satellite pictures, we can see the distinctive feature of "one station, one scene" of the stations along the line, and the architectural style of the stations fully integrates the regional cultural characteristics.

▲Satellite view of stations along the China-Laos Railway

Looking down from a satellite at Yexianggu Station, both ends of the tunnel pass through the mountain, and do not directly pass through the primeval forest to enter the station. One end of the station is the Mengyang Tunnel, and the other end is the Xishuangbanna Tunnel, both of which are more than 10 kilometers long.

▲Satellite view of Yexianggu Station

This station demonstrates the basic principle of the construction of the China-Laos Railway: treat the ecological environment as if it were life. The Wild Elephant Valley Railway Station is adjacent to the Asian Elephant Nature Reserve. In order to protect Asian elephants, the design unit has made a special design. "This construction model is equivalent to a pipeline passing through the inside of the mountain. The construction is all underground, which can reduce the impact on the local flora and fauna. The opening of the railway will not affect the normal activities of Asian elephants." Wang Junmin, project manager of the Wild Elephant Valley Station of the Yunnan-Mo Railway of China Railway Construction Group, said.

The China-Laos Railway strings together pearls along the line like a necklace, becoming a road of connectivity and friendship between China and Laos.

Source: Xinhua News Agency

Reporter: Wang Changshan, Ding Yiquan, Zhang Jianhua, Wang Anhaowei, Hu Chao

Satellite data: Chang Guang Satellite Technology Co., Ltd.

Producer: Li Xiaoyun

Editor: Ma Yucong

Proofreading: Guo Jianwei