travelled to dali from kunming, had 1 hour traffic jam at the enter toll of xiaguan

worse was to come, from dali to kunming, they are working on the road in several places, leaving only 1 lane for kilometers even if works r limited. that caused huge jams, 10 hours from dali to kunming...

these works it seems will last for a while, so dont have tight schedule

development, traffic jam and pollution

Thanks for the update. I've never heard anything but delays for the Dali Kunming expressway.

One of the day train is only 5h:
Kmg-Dali 12:10-17:16
Dali-Kmg 11:14-16:23

I really wish we had high-speed rail to Dali. Just a dream in Yunnan.

@AlexKMG They're building it. Haven't you seen the pylons?

Oh yeah? Do you have any good info on this high speed rail? I've been staring at the empty pylons for 5 years now.

Last I heard it will be part of a line that goes from Singapore to Myanmar, and the Kunming-Dali section of the line *may* open in 2017. It think it was originally supposed to be operational in 2012.

Don't worry. I'm sure whenever it eventually opens it will be crazy expensive to ride.

well, i also have difficult time to understand the work processes around here.

i posted about the dali expressway having huge jams bcause of kilometers of one lane despite works seem linuted to some meters

another posted about the expressway to guizhou blocked for 100 km. why would they do work on 100 km at once?

anyone knows about road works habits?

That is a 100km detour, not 100km of roadworks.

Ref high speed rail. I hear Shanghai rout for the 'G' train (bullet train) will open in 2016.

Even rail fares for the bullet train are not that expensive here, compared to Europe. Not ridden one for a few years, but I think I used to pay 150 for Shanghai to Nanjing ticket.

For medium distance journeys (around 200-500miles), Gao Tie trains are comfortable and good value. When you are taking really long journeys (like Kunming to Shanghai), they compare unfavourably with planes in terms of time and are not much cheaper, possibly even more expensive than a cheap deal flight.

Shanghai to Kunming, fly Vs train, for me they are comparable.

Time for me.
Drive to airport 45 mins.
Check in 1 hour early.
Flight 3.5 hours including taxiing.
Disembark, walk to baggage claim and wait for luggage and exit 30-45 mins. Queue for taxi, 15+ mins (1 hour if raining.
Taxi at other end 45 mins (Shanghai metro to downtown 1 hr)
Total 6hr 45 mins to 7hr 30 mins.
Without delays.
Really, it takes us 8-9 hours on a normal trip.

Train have heard quoted 7 hours.
Taxi to Chengong 45 mins (there will also be metro lines for those living downtown).
Check in and boarding 20-40 mins.
No baggage claim.
Arrive at station and get straight onto metro. At most 10 mins walk.
Metro ride downtown 30 mins.

Theoretically under 9 hours.

Other advantages of train. More space, you can walk around more, no restrictions on electronic device use, no fighting for the arm rest. You can also carry more liquids in your baggage ( so you can bring a flask of coffee etc.) and there are no weight restrictions. Trains rarely suffer delays, and the journey is much less stressful.

Either method of travel, it is a full day's journey.