Fujian province is beefing up its newest wave of railway construction with diversified funding systems.

Construction of four projects began on July 10: Xiamen West Railway Station, railway in north coast of Meizhou bay in Putian, Kemen port railway and Jiangyin port railway in Fuzhou.

These projects are not only among the first projects co-funded by the Ministry of Railways and Fujian provincial government, they are also the first time that private capital has been used for railway construction in the province, according to Wang Qiuping, an official from Fujian provincial development and reform commission.

"Investment from private enterprises, institutions and individuals in the railway construction is unprecedented in Fujian," says Wang.

The new rail network totaling 5,000 km will cover the western coast of the Taiwan Straits by 2020, according to the provincial development and reform commission.

Fujian province, located in China's southeast coast, faces Taiwan across the Taiwan Straits and borders the two economic powerhouses on the mainland - the Pearl River Delta and the Yangtze River Delta.

The province has decided to take advantage of the country's increasing push for closer economic ties with Taiwan.

With the country's second longest coastline of 3,324 km, about one sixth of China's total, Fujian has abundant ocean and port resources. But low traffic, especially railway problems, has hindered Fujian's development for a long time.

The railway system is also expected to boost closer cooperation with Yangtze River Delta, Pearl River Delta and the central region of China.

Construction of the Xiamen West Railway Station and three port-related rail lines will help smooth the transfer from railway transportation to port service, and vice versa.

Xiamen West Railway Station

Xiamen, a major coastal city in Fujian, will have a second railway station in the north part of Jimei district. With a total investment of 1.2 billion yuan, the Xiamen West Railway Station, located 12 km from Gaoqi International Airport, and 20 km from the city center, will cover an area of 110,000 sq m. The maximum passenger housing capacity is expected to reach 5,000.

Construction of the Xiamen West Railway Station will feature the swallow-tailed ridges, an architectural design of traditional residence houses in Fujian province. Standing at 66.78m, the three-storied railway station will have passengers coming out at the bottom, checking in at the top layer, and waiting for the trains on the platforms in the middle layer.

On its completion, the station will become a pivot of public transportation with rail lines connecting Fuzhou, the capital city of Fujian province, Longyan in the west of Fujian, and Shenzhen, Guangdong's special economic zone.

Meizhou Bay railway

Construction of the 1.32-billion-yuan rail line connecting to the port areas in north coast of Meizhou bay will be completed by the end of 2010. Stretching 56.3 km, the railway will connect ports in Putian with the Fuzhou-Xiamen line, which in turn connects to Yangtze River Delta and Pearl River Delta directly.

Fifty five percent of the total investment, or 722 million yuan, will be shared by Nanchang Railway Bureau, Putian Railway Construction and Development Co Ltd, and Fujian Zhenro Group. The rest part of the funding will be raised from the banks.

Kemen railway

Kemen railway, located in the south coast of Luoyuan bay in Lianjiang county, will become a major passage that connects Fuzhou's downtown to the port areas. With a total investment of 1.41 billion yuan, the 18-km railway will be finished within two years.

The Kemen railway will also provide a convenient passage for cargo transportation that connects the northeast and central region of Fujian province, Jiangxi and Hunan provinces to the sea.

Jiangyin railway

Jiangyin railway will be located in the north coast of Xinghua bay in Fuqing, a city noted as the ancestral home of many overseas Chinese. The 19.4-km railway will be constructed in two years, with a total investment estimated at 2.3 billion yuan.

When the project is finished, the railway will save up to eight hours for delivering cargos from Nanchang, the capital city of Jiangxi province to coastal port at Jiangyin. Currently the cargos are transported to Guangzhou, Guangdong province's capital city, through the Beijing-Guangzhou rail line.

Fujian province started a new round of railway construction earlier this year.

The Wenzhou-Fuzhou line will be put into operation this year, and the Fuzhou-Xiamen line next year, followed by the Longyan-Xiamen line, the Xiamen-Shenzhen line and the Xiangtan-Putian line.

It has been reported that the Beijing-Shanghai express railway will be extended from Bangbu station, in Anhui province, to Fuzhou, traveling through Hefei, Huangshan, Wuyishan and Nanping, and become a major express railway channel between Beijing and Fuzhou.