The Shenzhen-Jiangmen section of Shenzhen-Maoming High-speed Railway will have a station at Shenzhen International Airport to enhance the airport’s connection with the rail transit system, according to a project list of 11 aviation hubs in China released by the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) recently.

Work on the Shenzhen-Jiangmen section will start this year.

The Shenzhen-Maoming high-speed rail is an important line of the national network comprising eight horizontal rail lines and eight vertical rail lines.

According to the NDRC’s plan, an international aviation hub should connect with trunk railways, inter-city rails, urban (suburban) rail lines or rail transit, effectively radiating out to the surrounding areas, ranging from 800 to 1,000 kilometers. For a regional aviation hub, it should do everything possible to be connected with these rail lines and to radiate out to the surrounding areas within a radius of 300-500 kilometers.

Airports with an annual passenger throughput of more than 10 million should connect with urban (suburban) railway or urban rail transit as much as possible, the NDRC said. Airports with an expected passenger throughput of 30 million or more a year have been required to reserve space for construction of trunk railways, intercity railways and other rail lines.

The passenger turnover at Shenzhen International Airport in 2019 hit a new record high of 50 million.

The new requirements mark China’s efforts to build a modern multi-level transportation system.

Construction of the 116-km Shenzhen-Jiangmen section of Shenzhen-Maoming High-speed Railway will cost 52.1 billion yuan (US$7.37 billion).

It will have seven stations, namely Xili, Shenzhen Airport, Binhaiwan, Nansha, Zhongshan North, Henglan and Jiangmen. Upon completion in 2024, the trip between Shenzhen and Maoming will be cut from the present seven hours to three hours.

Trains on the Shenzhen-Nansha section are expected to run at a speed of 200 kilometers per hour, while those on the Nansha-Jiangmen section are expected to run at a speed of 250 kilometers per hour.

Shenzhen-Maoming High-speed Railway is part of China’s coastal high-speed rail network. The construction of the Shenzhen-Maoming rail has been divided into the Jiangmen-Maoming section and the Shenzhen-Jiangmen section.

As a transport hub for Shenzhen-Ganzhou High-speed Railway and Shenzhen-Maoming High-speed Railway, Xili Station will set up 12 platforms with 24 rail lines.