Almost seven million people live in the city of Kunming, capital of the province of Yunnan in the south-west of China. After traffic dramatically increased in the last decade (240,000 car registrations in 2010 alone) the city began the comprehensive expansion of its local transport system. From 2010 to 2013 the first, 42.1 kilometer long Phase 1 of metro Line 1 was built. Almost 37 kilometers of this were bored with Herrenknecht Earth Pressure Balance Shields (EPB Shields). Three Herrenknecht EPB Shields were also used for Phase 3 as well as for metro Line 3.

As an important transportation hub and high-tech location in Southwest China, Kunming continues to prioritize the expansion of its infrastructure. The city is currently planning to expand the metro to 6 lines with a total length of more than 200 kilometers by 2020.