New rail link to aid export of resources

PUTIAN, Fujian - A new high-speed railway will provide a faster channel of export for Midwest China's resource-rich hinterland and significantly reduce the transportation cost along the way.

The 654-km line, which will connect Nanchang, the capital of the inland Jiangxi province, and Putian, a harbor city in Fujian province, will be complete by September 2013. It will become a vital economy lifeline for provinces separated by mountains in Southeast China, and a link to the sea for the inland provinces of Jiangxi and Hunan.

"Meizhouwan Bay in Putian is one of the very few multi-berth deepwater harbors in China, but this has been underutilized for many years because of the low traffic volumes," Yang Gensheng, Party secretary of Putian, told China Daily.