July 18, 2007 -- On July 14, 2007, The Ministry of Railways in Yunnan Province announced that investment in Yunnan's railways has increased to 4.315 billion yuan (US$575 million) this year. This is much more than the amount invested in 2003 which was 126 million yuan (US$16.8 million), reported Yunnan Daily.

According to Kunming Railways Bureau, it is expected that during the Eleventh Five Year Plan,investment in the railway of Yunnan Province will reach 50 billion yuan (US$ 6.67 billion) and its new main line will be over 1,500 kilometers long. Railway lines from Shanghai, Chengdu, and Nanchang will converge on Kunming making Yunnan a hub of railway transportation in Southeast Asia connecting China to the railway networks of Vietnam, Laos, and Burma. This will greatly promote local economic and social development, reported Yunnan Daily.