(Yicai Global) June 19 -- China's Hainan province is planning to construct a direct rail transit route between the southern beach destination of Sanya and the provincial capital of Haikou, in order to make the journey faster for residents and tourists. 

A maglev train could slash the over 300-kilometer journey to a half-an-hour, the Hainan Provincial Development and Reform Commission said on its website. The province is still deciding whether to build a railway for high-speed trains or bullet trains and is encouraging institutions to submit feasibility assessments.

CRRC Qingdao Sifang developed the first magnetic-levitation train with a designated speed of 600 km per hour last month. The engineering prototype is expected to be ready by next year, and the firm will start testing the train in 2021.

Editor: Emmi Laine