A memorandum was signed by eight mayors from Guangdong and Fujian provinces Wednesday (Nov. 10) in a bid to build a railway linking Shenzhen and Xiamen.

The cross-province railway would make it possible to get to Xiamen from Shenzhen or Hong Kong within three hours. Xiamen is a special coastal economic zone in East China's Fujian Province.

It was planned to have 17 stops and link another six cities in the two provinces including Huizhou, Shanwei, Jieyang, Shantou, Chaozhou in Guangdong and Zhangzhou in Fujian.

"The railway is of utmost importance to my city and will benefit it most," said Xiamen Mayor Zhang Changping. It will draw his city closer to the Pearl River Delta and rejuvenate the economy of the southern Fujian city.

The total length of the railway will be 535 kilometers and the maximum speed would be about 200 kilometers per hour.

In China's current railway network, Shenzhen and Xiamen are terminals of two major arteries but there is no railway connecting the two cities.

When completed, the railway would make transport easier from the Yangtze River Delta to the Pearl River Delta through Fujian. It would also enhance regional cooperation between the mainland cities and Hong Kong and Macao.

According to an official from the Ministry of Railways, the railway would also be significant for the national defense system.

Hosted by Shenzhen Mayor Li Hongzhong, the meeting discussed the cost and a timetable for the railway. Mayors from the eight cities agreed to start preliminary land acquisition in 2005 and have the construction started in 2006. The work would be completed in 2010.

The total cost was expected to be 30 billion yuan (US$3.6 billion). It was suggested at the meeting to invite overseas investors to join in the project.

At present, only bus and air traffic are availble from Shenzhen to Xiamen. A bus trip takes eight hours and a flight some 45 minutes.

Editor: Olivia