Almost three months ago China's high-speed railway technology entered a new phase of operations with a world first loop track on the southern island province of Hainan. The circuit was completed at lightning speed and has been carrying thousands of passengers daily including visitors to the island.
There's no such thing as a 'slow train coming anymore' on China's Hainan Island. The CRH arrives with little fanfare, stays at the platform for just two minutes and is gone again just as quickly.
This is the world's first high speed loop train and can travel at speeds in excess of 200 kilometers an hour, which means we can be back where we started in less than five hours. That's no mean fete when you consider we would have traveled 658 kilometers – that's roughly the same distance as circumnavigating Belgium.
The train can accommodate 655 passengers, more if necessary, and many rate the journey very highly.
Speed is not the only consideration, it's also very affordable. Riding the full circle costs 217RMB or about 33 US dollars. And that's music to the ears of budget conscious travelers.
One great advantage of the new loop – passengers arriving at the international airport can be in downtown Sanya in under 20 mins.
Train enthusiasts from around the world have also been quick to add the Hainan loop to their collection, according to the station master dozens have jetted in just to ride the circle line.
