Guangzhou will permanently close Guangzhou Coach Terminal from April 1st, and assign existing routes operating from the terminal to other stations across the city.

Built in 1985, the coach terminal is located in Huanshi Xi Road, Yuexiu District. For thirty-five years it has been a major coach terminal connecting Pearl River Delta cities and neighboring provinces.

The coach terminal used to be an important stop for many visitors, migrant workers and traders as it’s close to Guangzhou Train Station and more than 10 wholesale markets. Its passenger flow peaked in the few years after 2000 and set a record nationwide with 170 thousand daily passengers. However, passenger volume has been dropping constantly in recent years. The average number of daily passengers was down to just 5000 before the outbreak of COVID-19, and now stands at only 1500.

Guangzhou Coach Terminal is not the first station to be closed in Guangzhou. Five coach terminals including Yuexiu South, Huangpu, Yongtai, Guangzhou North and Panyu were closed in 2019.

The decrease of passenger volume in coach terminals can be attributed to the increasingly sophisticated metro and high-speed train networks as well as the fact that more families have their own cars.

Author: Jasmine

Editor: Keane, Simon

Video: He Yushuai, Jiangzhen of Southern Metropolis Daily