The Guangdong–Hainan railway or Yuehai railway () is a railway that operates from Haikou railway station in

Hainan Hainan (, ; ) is the smallest and southernmost province of the People's Republic of China (PRC), consisting of various islands in the South China Sea. , the largest and most populous island in China,The island of Taiwan, which is slightly l ...

, via

South Port South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both east and west. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sun� ...

, a few hundred metres north-west on the coast, and the

Qiongzhou Strait The Qiongzhou Strait, also called the is the Chinese strait that separates Guangdong's Leizhou Peninsula from the island province of Hainan. It connects the Gulf of Tonkin on its west to the South China Sea on its east. The strait is on averag ...

ferry, to

Zhanjiang Zhanjiang (), historically spelled Tsamkong, is a prefecture-level city at the southwestern end of Guangdong province, People's Republic of China, facing Haikou city to the south. As of the 2020 census, its population was 6,981,236 (6,994,832 ...

, at the tip of the

Leizhou Peninsula The Leizhou Peninsula, alternately romanized as the Luichow Peninsula, is a peninsula in the southernmost part of Guangdong province in South China. History Qing naval forces were stationed at the Leizhou Peninsula. During the 19th centur ...

in Guangdong, and then north into Guangdong.

Yuehai Railway Ferry

The Yuehai Railway Ferry () is a train and vehicle ferry connecting the Chinese provinces of

Guangdong Guangdong (, ), alternatively romanized as Canton or Kwangtung, is a coastal province in South China on the north shore of the South China Sea. The capital of the province is Guangzhou. With a population of 126.01 million (as of 2020 ...

and

. The ferry service runs across the Qiongzhou Strait, between Zhanjiang and South Port, just north-west of Haikou railway station. When ferries containing railway cars arrive at South Port from Zhanjiang, passengers not travelling in railway cars disembark. The passenger cars are run off the ferries and a locomotive is attached, which takes the train to the Haikou railway station. There, the passengers exit the cars and leave the station, or they can connect to the Hainan eastern ring high-speed railway. Freight trains also use the ferry service and travel through Haikou railway station onto the Hainan western ring railway, and to other locations in Hainan, such as Dongfang. The line has operated since January 2003, carrying both freight and passenger trains, enabling direct train service between the mainland and the cities of

Haikou Haikou (; ), also spelled as Hoikow is the capital and most populous city of the Chinese province of Hainan. Haikou city is situated on the northern coast of Hainan, by the mouth of the Nandu River. The northern part of the city is on the ...

and

Sanya Sanya (; also spelled Samah) is the southernmost city on Hainan Island, and one of the four prefecture-level cities of Hainan Province in South China. According to the 2020 census, the total population of Sanya was 1,031,396 inhabitants, livi ...

on Hainan Island. In 2010, two ferry boats were in operation: ''Yuehai No. 1'' and ''Yuehai No. 2''. The third boat, ''Yuehai No. 3'', was launched in

Tianjin Tianjin (; ; Mandarin: ), alternately romanized as Tientsin (), is a municipality and a coastal metropolis in Northern China on the shore of the Bohai Sea. It is one of the nine national central cities in Mainland China, with a total popu ...

in September 2010. ''Yuehai No. 3'' and the fourth boat, ''Yuehai No. 4'', entered revenue service with the ferry company on February 1, 2013. The two 23,000-ton vessels are 188 meter long, 23 meters wide and 15.3 meters in total height; they have a 5.6 m draft. The vessels carry rail cars at the lower deck and cars on the upper deck; there are passenger compartments as well. They travel at the speed of up to 17 knots.粤海铁3、4号渡轮投入客滚运输琼州海峡添运力
2013-02-02

Gallery

File:South_Port_(Hainan)_-_01.JPG, Main entrance road with toll booths File:South_Port_(Hainan)_-_03.JPG, Walkway for pedestrian access to ferry File:South_Port_(Hainan)_-_05.JPG, Ferry and rail line File:Railway_between_Haikou_Railway_Station_and_South_Port_-_02.JPG, Rail line that brings trains to the Haikou railway station File:Ferry leaving South Port - 03.jpg, Ferry Yue Hai Tie 1 Hao leaving South Port

Notes

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Guangdong-Hainan Railway Rail transport in Guangdong Rail transport in Hainan Train ferries Ferries of China