By Xin Dingding and Hu Meidong (China Daily)
Updated: 2007-11-24 08:48

Fuzhou - Construction of two new railway lines in Fujian Province began on Friday.

"Once they are completed in five years' time, the new lines will be a major boost to the province's rail network, as well as help provide a fast, convenient link between coastal and inland areas," Liu Zhijun, minister of railways, said.

The lines will also contribute to the economic development of Fujian, which is considered the base of the economic zone on the west side of the Taiwan Straits.

One of the railways starts in Xiamen, a major city of Fujian, and will head southwest along the coast to Shenzhen in Guangdong Province.

With trains able to travel at up to 200 kph along some sections of the 502.4-km double-track electrified railway, the journey time between the two cities will be slashed from the current 11 hours to less than three, Liu said.

On completion in 2011, the railway will carry both passenger and cargo trains, stopping at 20 stations. It is estimated that 12 million tons of cargo will be transported on the line every year.

The 41.7 billion yuan ($5.6 billion) construction cost will be shared by the Ministry of Railways, and the Fujian and Guangdong provincial governments.

Yu Kaiyang, director of the Fujian provincial railway construction office, said the railway will provide improved access between the Pearl River Delta and Yangtze River Delta.

At its northern end, two other railway projects are already under construction, linking Xiamen and Fuzhou, capital of Fujian Province, and linking Fuzhou and Wenzhou in Zhejiang Province.

In the future, passengers will be able to travel by train all the way from Shanghai to Shenzhen, Yu said.

The second major line will link Fujian with Central China, via Jiangxi Province, passing through 23 stations.

The 603.6-km double track electrified railway will run from Nanchang, capital of Jiangxi, to Fujian, and have terminals in both Fuzhou and Putian.

The railway will carry both passengers and cargo, and is expected to carry some 20 million tons of cargo every year.

Estimated to cost 51.8 billion yuan, the railway will open to traffic in 2012.

"This is Fujian's first modern railway leading to the hinterland," Yu said.

"Together with other ongoing railway projects, it will provide a direct route for provinces in Central China to the ocean. It can also be used to carry coal to provinces like Jiangxi."

The new line will cut traveling distance between the two provinces by at least 117 km, he said.