Xiamen-Kinmen Mini Three Links route sets annual record for passenger trips

(ECNS) -- The Xiamen-Kinmen Mini Three Links passenger route handled more than 1.82 million inbound and outbound passenger trips as of Nov. 8, up more than 25 percent from the same period last year, setting a new record for annual passenger traffic.

Taiwan residents accounted for a large share of this year's traffic, making more than 1.45 million inbound and outbound passenger trips on the route, up more than 35 percent year on year.

Launched in 2001, the passenger route of Xiamen-Kinmen Mini Three Links -- the direct passenger, postal and trade links between the coastal areas of Fujian province and Jinmen and Matsu -- has handled more than 25 million passenger trips.

The service now runs 24 round trips a day. Additional sailings are scheduled during peak periods on weekends and public holidays, making the ferry service more like a public transit system.

(By Zhang Dongfang)