Southern China's Hainan Province began operation of a new stretch of railway track on Wednesday, completing the world's first high-speed train line to circle an island.
A bullet train set off from Haikou, the capital of the island province, at 9:40 a.m., launching operations of the 345-km western track of the loop line, which links six counties to join the eastern track in Sanya City, a beach resort on the island's southern coast.
The 308-km eastern part was put into operation at the end of 2010, linking Haikou to Sanya, with a designed speed of up to 250 km per hour. It passes Boao, a scenic town that is the site of the annual Boao Forum for Asia.
Construction of the western track began in September 2013 with an investment of 27 billion yuan (4.23 billion U.S. dollars).
With a land area of 35,400 square km, Hainan is slightly larger than Belgium. The popular destination for beach lovers is expected to receive 47 million visitors this year.
