Construction of Railway Connecting Hainan, Mainland in Full SwingChinese workers have been laying tracks for the northern part of a new railway linking Hainan Island to the Chinese mainland.The cross-strait Guangdong-Hainan railroad, with 524.6 kilometers in total length, will include the northern part of the railroad which extends from Zhanjiang to Hai'an, both in Guangdong Province, ferries from Hai'an to Haikou, capital of Hainan Province, on Qiongzhou Straits, and the railway which rounds the western part of Hainan from Haikou to Sanya. An engineer responsible for the railway construction said that laying track on the 138-kilometer northern part rail section in Guangdong is expected to be finished by the end of the year. In the meantime, construction of a berth in Hai'an, and another one in Haikou for train ferries has been completed. Supporting facilities for both berths, including four embankments to fence off tidal waves, have all been completed. This key state project will cost 4.5 billion yuan, including 200 million U.S. dollars worth of loans from a Japanese foundation. The whole railway project began construction in August 1998 and is expected to be completed in 2001. When completed, it will connect Hainan with the railway network of the rest of the country. |
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