Railway extends to Chinese mainland's south most

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 ◆ Railway extends to Chinese mainland's south most

The railway connecting Zhanjiang and Hai'an,both cities of south China's Guangdong Province,has completed and is now undergoing a quality check.It is expected to open for service early next year.

The project that will link up Guangdong Province on the Chinese mainland and Hainan Island consists of the 138-kilometer Zhanjiang-Hai'an Railway in Guangdong Province,railway ferry service on the Qiongzhou Straits,and the Haikou-Chahe Rail Line on Hainan Island.

The Chinese mainland and Hainan Island are separated by Qiongzhou Straits.In the past,travelers to Hainan Island had to resort to ferries and planes to cross the water.

Guangdong-Hainan railway thoroughfare begins in Zhanjiang,cuts through Leizhou Peninsula,extends across the Qiongzhou Straits,joins the existing rail line in western Hainan Island at Chahe,and ends in the city of Sanya at the southern tip of the island.

The 568.3-kilometer railway was jointly paid for by the Chinese Ministry of Railways,Hainan Province and Guangdong Province at a cost of 4.5billion yuan (about 542million US dollars).It is listed as one of the major railway construction projects for the ninth five-year-plan period (1996-2000).Construction of the rail in Guangdong Province started in August 1998.(eastday.com)