A freight train bearing containers heads to Ningbo-Zhoushan Port for customs clearance and shipping from Yongkang, East China's Zhejiang Province, on April 27, 2022. Yongkang, a global hub for hardware production, started rail-sea intermodal transportation in September 2021. This combined service saves about 1,000 yuan ($153) on transport costs per container. Photo: VCG

The construction and operation contract of high-speed railway linking Ningbo and Zhoushan in East China's Zhejiang Province was finalized between China Railway Construction Corporation (CRRC) and local government of Zhejiang, CRRC announced on Sunday via its official WeChat account.

The settlement of the contract means that the world's longest subsea high-speed railway will soon enter its construction phase.  

The Ningbo-Zhoushan railway has total length of 76.396 kilometers, starting from Ningbo East station, eastwards to Jintang Island, Cezi island and ends at Zhoushan Island. Bridges and tunnels account for a combined 90 percent of the entire railway with 36 bridges and 17 tunnels.  

The railway will cross the 100,000-ton-level of Jintang ship lane under the water via a 16.18-kilometer-subsea tunnel. CRRC will apply large shield tunneling machine to overcome the challenges including a high volume of water traffic and complex undersea conditions.  

The Ningbo-Zhoushan railway will be an important component of local "1-hour-transport circle," which will accelerate Zhoushan to join the Belt and Road Initiative and Yangtze River Economic Belt.  

The contract covers 36 years of cooperation period which includes six years of construction period and 30 years operating the Ningbo-Zhoushan railway.