The railway built along the west coastline of the island province of Hainan on Tuesday passed assessment by a panel consisting of over 60 specialists from the Chinese Ministry of Railways, Hainan and Guangdong provinces.

That put an end to construction of the railway thoroughfare connecting Guangdong Province and Hainan Province, which are separated by the Qiongzhou Strait.

Guangdong-Hainan railway thoroughfare consists of a 139-km railroad from Zhanjiang to Hai'an on Leizhou Peninsula in Guangdong and the ferry service on Qiongzhou Strait, both of which are now operational, and the 157.36-km railway line built along the west coastline of Hainan.

All the works have been completed, including the main rail itself and 38 bridges, have met set quality standards, said a spokesman for the professional panel.

The newly completed coastline railway, which starts from Haikou, capital of Hainan Province and ends at Chahe Harbor on the west coast of the island that runs directly to Sanya City on the southern tip of the island, will soon be put into service, said a local official.

(Xinhua News Agency April 7, 2004)