On January 7, 2026, Beijing, the National Development and Reform Commission officially approved the feasibility study report for the construction of a new Zhanjiang Haikou cross sea ferry and related line project. This super project, with a total investment of about 39.97 billion yuan, will break down the transportation barriers in the Qiongzhou Strait, achieve interconnectivity between the Hainan Island high-speed railway and the national high-speed railway network, and inject strong transportation momentum into the construction of the Hainan Free Trade Port.

As a core component of the Zhanhai High speed Railway, the project starts from Zhanjiang, Guangdong in the north, connects Leizhou, Xuwen, Hai'an and other places in the south, and ends at Haikou, Hainan. The overall construction period is 4 years. The project consists of two major sections: onshore high-speed rail and offshore ferry. The total length of the onshore high-speed rail line is 132.3 kilometers, including 128.9 kilometers of the main line from Zhanjiang North Station to Xuwen South Station and 3.4 kilometers of the connecting line from Haikou North Station to Haikou Station. The proportion of bridges is as high as 73.8%; The sea ferry has a distance of about 23 kilometers and innovatively adopts the mode of "people crossing the sea by boat" to achieve seamless connection between high-speed trains and ferries.

The construction content covers five core areas: Zhanjiang Hub Supporting Project, Zhanjiang Haikou High speed Railway Main Line, Qiongzhou Strait Ferry System, Hainan Island Customs Inspection Facilities, and Island EMU Supporting Project. Along the route, there are 7 stations including Zhanjiang North, Leizhou North, Longmen West, Xuwen North, Xuwen South (Port Station), Haikou North (Port Station), and Haikou. At the same time, 6 high-speed rail roll on/roll off ship berths will be newly built at Xuwen South Station and Haikou North Station, constructing a vertical transportation system of "land port linkage and sea rail intermodal transportation".

It is worth noting that after the completion of the project, Hainan will fully integrate into the national high-speed rail network, greatly improving the travel efficiency of the people in Hainan and Guangdong, and significantly accelerating the flow of people, logistics, and capital between regions. This not only meets the high-quality travel needs of the masses, but also promotes the transformation of Hainan Free Trade Port from an "island economy" to a "hub economy", helping it become a regional transportation hub radiating Southeast Asia, and laying a solid foundation for the coordinated development of Hainan, Guangdong, and even South China.Editor/Bian Wenjun