China launches the first high-speed train over water

CNN
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China’s railway ambitions continue to grow.

The latest addition to the country’s portfolio is a 277-kilometre (172-mile) high-speed train line along the southeastern coast, linking the cities of Changzhou, Xiamen and Fuzhou, all three in Fujian province.

The maximum speed of trains along this route is 350 kilometers (217 miles) per hour, according to the China Railway Corporation, the state railway operator.

The first train on this line departed on Thursday, September 28, departing from Fuzhou, the provincial capital, at 9:15 a.m.

The new railway line currently includes 84 bridges and 29 tunnels, in addition to 20 kilometers (12 miles) of track that passes over the sea, making it the first high-speed train over water in the country.

The Chinese railway company says it used intelligent robots and environmentally friendly corrosion-resistant steel to build railway sections above water.

The new line is just one of many infrastructure projects promoted by the Chinese government in 2016, when the “Eight Horizontal, Eight Vertical” railway initiative was announced. State-run Xinhua news agency reports that road transportation in Fujian province has been a challenge Because of its mountainous terrain.

Fujian Province is also important for being the closest part of mainland China to the self-governing island of Taiwan. Xiamen is located just two and a half miles (10 km) across the Taiwan Strait from Kinmen, the westernmost region of Taiwan.

China’s ruling Communist Party claims Taiwan as part of its territory, although it has never controlled it.

According to Xinhua News Agency, the Communist Party issued a circular earlier this month calling for “better facilitating communication and integration between Fujian and Taiwan.”

A controversial proposal from a group of eight local government councilors in Kinmen earlier this year proposed the construction of a literal and metaphorical building. Bridge across the strait. The plan would turn Kinmen into an “island of peace,” or a kind of demilitarized zone between Taiwan and China.