Technology on China's fastest sea-crossing railway

Technology on China's fastest sea-crossing railway

A bullet train departed from Fuzhou, capital of Fujian Province, at 9:15 a.m. local time on September 28, marking the inauguration of the 227-kilometer Fuzhou-Xiamen-Zhangzhou high-speed railway, according to CGTN . The first of its kind in China, the new railway cuts travel time between Fuzhou and Xiamen, two major cities in Fujian Province, to 55 minutes, according to its operator, China Railway Group Corporation.

With stops in the cities of Fuzhou, Putian, Quanzhou, Xiamen and Zhangzhou, the new railway is the latest mega-infrastructure project to open, boosting connectivity in Fujian province, where transport options and efficiency are limited by mountainous terrain.

Construction began in 2017, and the railway incorporates a range of smart technologies, including the Internet of Things, edge computing and geographic information systems, taking another step towards building smart transportation in the country. Passengers will be able to enjoy the seascape on the 19.9km-long railway that runs across Quanzhou Bay, Meizhou Bay and Anhai Bay, via bridges that engineers say were extremely difficult to build.

“This railway covers almost every challenge that previous high-speed rail projects have faced,” said Li Pingzhuo, project manager at China Railway Siyuan Survey and Design Co., the design company.

The construction of the three bridges successfully overcame the challenges posed by strong winds, high waves, deep water, and the erosive nature of the marine environment. According to Li, the railway line was also reinforced against earthquakes because it runs through a seismically-prone area.

An Khang (According to CGTN )