"Yuehaitie No.1", China's first transoceanic train ferryboat, arrived in the Qiongzhou Straits on Sunday, where it will operate as a transportation link between railways in Guangdong and Hainan provinces.
The ferryboat left the Jiangnan Shipyard in Shanghai on Thursday, traversing the Taiwan Straits en route to its destination.
The country's first transoceanic train ferry is scheduled to commence operation on December 28, according to official sources.
The ferryboat, which was built at a cost of 210 million yuan (US$25 million), was funded by the Yuehai Railway Co., Ltd., designed by the No.708 Ship-building Industry Institute of China, and built by the Jiangnan Shipyard.
The ferryboat, boasting a capacity of 12,400 tons and a minimal speed of 15 nautical miles per hour, is 165.4 meters in length and 22.6 meters in width.
It is capable of carrying either 4,200 tons of locomotives and cars, 40 cargo carriers or 18 passenger compartments and 1,360 passengers.
(People's Daily November 25, 2002)
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