Published : 2025-08-30

On August 30, 1998, the construction of China's Yuehai Railway (粵海鐵路) channel officially started.

The Yuehai Railway connects Hainan, China's island province, with the mainland, and it was a key national railway project during the 9th Five-Year Plan period. With a total investment of 4.5 billion RMB, it is China's first railway crossing a strait, spanning the Qiongzhou Strait, one of China's three major straits.

The Yuehai Railway consists of "two lines and one ferry," specifically the Zhanjiang-Haikou Line, the West Loop Line of Hainan Island, and Qiongzhou Strait Train Ferry, with a total length of 345 km.

It starts in Zhanjiang, Guangdong Province, passes through Haikou and Danzhou in Hainan, and ends in Sanya.

The Qiongzhou Strait Train Ferry is the key component, where trains use ferries to cross the sea. The maritime route is about 12.5 nautical miles (equivalent to 22.5 km), with a sailing time of about 60 minutes.

Previously, Hainan Province had no railway connection with the mainland, which severely restricted the exchanges of personnel and goods.

To change this situation, the Ministry of Railways, Guangdong Province, and Hainan Province jointly funded the construction of the Yuehai Railway.

The Yuehai Railway leverages the advantages of the national railway network's direct and rapid transportation.

It is of great significance in promoting economic development in regions like Hainan and the Leizhou Peninsula, strengthening political, economic, and cultural ties between Hainan and the mainland, accelerating the development and utilisation of marine resources in the South China Sea, and consolidating national defence.