China opens its first high-speed train across water

Zhangzhou, Xiamen, and Fuzhou in Fujian province are connected by a 277-kilometer (172-mile) high-speed train line along the southeastern coast, the country's latest addition.

China Railway, the state railway operator, says trains can reach 350 km/h on this route.

The first over-water bullet train in the country has 84 bridges, 29 tunnels, and 20 km (12 miles) of track over the sea.

 China Railway says it built overwater rail sections with intelligent robots and eco-friendly corrosion-resistant steel.

The 2016 “Eight Horizontal and Eight Vertical” rail initiative by the Chinese government included the new line among many infrastructure projects. Fujian province's mountainous terrain makes ground transportation difficult, according to Xinhua.

Fujian province is the closest mainland Chinese province to Taiwan. Xiamen is 2.5 miles (10 km) across the Taiwan Strait from Kinmen, Taiwan's westernmost region.