Dedicated Fuzhou-Xiamen railway line to begin construction this year

A dedicated Fuzhou-Xiamen railway line has been approved and its construction is scheduled to begin by the end of the year. Its route, now officially confirmed, will run from Fuzhou to Xiamen and Zhangzhou by way of Putian and Quanzhou. It will be the first proper high-speed railway in Fujian, once completed.

The Fuzhou-Xiamen passenger line is a major project for Fujian Province and parts of the line are presently being prepared for construction due to start by the end of the year. According to the latest plan, the railway line stretches some 294.188 km, including 277.948 km of newly built tracks. What is more, this will be a part of a 4.274-kilometer-long dedicated coastal passenger railway line and a 9.013-kilometer-long connecting railway, which are to be constructed at the same time.

The route of the line has been confirmed: Fuzhou-Fuzhou South-Fuqing West-Putian-Quangang-Quanzhou South-Xiamen and North-Zhangzhou and it will cross Meizhou Bay, Quanzhou Bay and Anhai Bay. Fuqing West, Quangang and Quanzhou South are to be new stations and new high-speed stops are being built in Fuzhou South Station and Xiamen North Station.

Compared to the present trains, the new Fuzhou-Xiamen high-speed trains will run even faster with a top speed of 350 km/h, which means traveling form Xiamen to Fuzhou will take 50 minutes, at most.