China launches first cross-sea bullet train line near Taiwan Strait

China unveiled its first high-speed rail line on Thursday, which will go through multiple bays and skim down the coast of the southeastern province of Fujian near the Taiwan Strait.

According to Xinhua, a bullet train left Fuzhou, the capital of east China’s Fujian province, on Thursday morning, paving the way for the inauguration of the 277-kilometer (172-mile) Fuzhou-Xiamen-Zhangzhou railway.

The country’s railway operator, China State Railway Group Co Ltd, claimed it is the country’s first cross-sea, rapid line with bullet trains that would pass over bridges spanning three coastal bays and reach peak speeds of 350 km/h (218 mph).

The trip from Fuzhou to Xiamen, an economic powerhouse and major tourist destination, will take less than an hour.

China Railway Siyuan Survey and Design Group Co Ltd designed the railway project. By 2022, China had 42,000 km of operational high-speed railway, and the length of high-speed rail regularly operating at 350 km per hour neared 3,200 km as of June 2022.

China recently announced details of its plan to turn Fujian into a zone for integrated development with Taiwan, which sits opposite the province.

China is hoping the link will enhance investment opportunities and make travel easier.

A Chinese government official said an integrated multidimensional transportation network has been built in Fujian that “will make it technically possible to construct a high-speed transport passage linking the province with Taiwan,” according to state media.

Separately, earlier this week China unveiled its first commercial suspended monorail line in Wuhan, the capital of Hubei province.

The monorail, covering 10.5 km (6.5 miles), is fully automated and only requires human operation in an emergency, China Daily reported.