( CNN ) Chinese railway experts have begun talks on building a record-breaking high-speed rail that would connect Inner Mongolia in the north to Hainan in the south . According to the Shaanxi Development and Reform Commission , the proposed line will operate at a speed of 350 kilometers per hour ( 217 mph ) . Beginning in Inner Mongolia 's Baotou city and running through southern Shaanxi , Hubei , Hunan , Guangxi and Guangdong , its final stop would be in Haikou city on Hainan Island , China 's southernmost province . Though the exact length of the proposed route has not been released , it will likely become the world 's longest high-speed rail line -- smashing a record already held by China -- as the journey by road between Baotou and Haikou is approximately 3,000 kilometers ( 1,864 miles ) long . Currently , the world 's longest high-speed rail line is almost 2,300 kilometers long ( 1,429 miles ) , running from Beijing to the southern metropolis of Guangzhou . The proposed rail is part of China 's aim to create a `` Maritime Silk Road of the 21st Century '' and coincides with initiatives to improve the country 's comprehensive transportation network while driving land development and urbanization in seven provincial areas . Minority issues . Many of the provinces through which the high-speed trains will travel are near major bodies of water , such as the Yellow River in Inner Mongolia and Shaanxi provinces , the Yangtze River in Hubei and the South China Sea , where the line would end . It will also take passengers to popular tourist destinations including Zhangjiajie , Xian , Guilin and minority areas in western Hunan and Hubei . `` The country is now shifting its focus and investing in the western regions and economically underdeveloped areas , making up for China 's long debt to these areas , '' Tan Yuzhi , professor of the School of Economics and Management at Hubei University for Nationalities , told local media . `` The project will significantly narrow regional disparities and solve minority issues . '' However , Deng Hongbing , director of China University of Geosciences ' Center for Regional Economic and Investment Center , said that if the north-to-south railway is to go ahead , there needs to be a sound ecological program in place to ensure the protection of these underdeveloped and ecologically sensitive areas . Officials say the line will connect with existing high-speed routes such as Xuzhou-Lanzhou , Shanghai-Wuhan-Chengdu , Shanghai-Kunming and Guiyang-Guangzhou . Proposal participants say they will push for the train project to be included in China 's 13th five-year national development plan ( 2016-2020 ) .
Proposed high-speed rail would connect Inner Mongolia with Hainan , which are more than 3,000 kilometers apart . World 's longest high-speed rail line is almost 2,300 kilometers long , connecting Beijing and Guangzhou . Train would open access to some of China 's remotest areas for tourists .