Visit Hainan - Australia's Leading Hainan Holiday and Tour website.

Over the last decade, Hainan has made a name for itself as a hub for modernity and development with everything from man-made islands and 7-star hotels to Space centres and marine research parks. As of late 2010, the island added another star attraction to its list: a high-speed across country bullet train.

The Hainan East Ring Intercity Railway links the island's capital city Haikou in the north to the resort tourism capital Sanya City in the island's south. The trains travel at 280km per hour, shortening the trip between the two cities to a mere 80 minutes.

The railway runs from the Haikou Railway Station to Sanya, covering a total distance of 308.11 km. It is projected that by 2020 the railway will be able to transport up to 18 million passengers a year. Currently, there are ten pairs of trains travelling per day.

Each train is composed of eight cars, with five power cars and three trailers, measuring a total length of 213.5 metres and a total weight of 420.4 tons. Passengers can choose between two first-class and five second-class cars, with one dining car between providing fast food and drinks.

The track runs through Hainan's main tourism areas, with 14 stops along the island's eastern coast, serving the destinations most frequented by 90 per cent of tourists to Hainan. Stops include Wenchang, Qionghai, Wanning and Lingshui Counties. It is also the first railway to connect the island of Hainan to Mainland China.

The journey offers exquisite scenery such as Haikou's Dongzhai Harbour, an important home to many mangrove species, the Dongjiao coconut forest and Gaolong Bay of Wenchang, the Boao Water city and Wanquan River of Quionghai, the Shenzhou Peninsular, Dongshan Ridge, Xinglong, Moon Bay and Shimei Bay of Wanning, Perfume Bay of Lingshui, Begonia Bay and Yalong Bay in Sanya.

Plans for the high-speed railway were first proposed back in 1958 by the then Vice-Premier Li Fuchun during an inspection tour of the island. The Cultural Revolution disrupted development of a round-island railway network and plans were put on hold until the 1980s. Construction of the railway finally began in 2007.

With a projected cost of over 22.22 billion RMB (around $3.3 billion USD), the Hainan East Ring Intercity Railway has been the island's largest single investment project to date. Employing over 50,000 people, the railway has so far proved a success, promoting urbanization and improving Hainan's transportation capacity greatly.

Tickets can be purchased in advance online at www.s1800.com with booking references sent via email and to mobile phones, or through tour operators in Hainan. The full fare for a journey from Sanya to Haikou is 114 RMB for first-class and 95 RMB for second-class.

Another high-speed railway is in development to service the 345 km route running down the west coast of the island, linking up with the Hainan Eastern Ring Railway. The Western railway route is expected to be completed in 2015. The construction of the two bullet trains is a symbol of the island's modernity, ambition and ability to cater to growing tourist numbers. For more information about travel to Hainan visit www.visithainan.com.au.