The first high-speed train linking the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and the western area of Hunan province passes dozens of iconic scenic spots. [Photo by Qiu Quanlin/chinadaily.com.cn]
Since opening in June last year, passenger flows along the first high-speed train linking the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and the western area of Hunan province have significantly increased, according to railway operators.
The train G6080 departs each morning from West Kowloon Station in Hong Kong and arrives at the Zhangjiajie West Station in Hunan, after a swift journey of six hours and 22 minutes.
The railway line, known as the mountain-water economic artery, has thus far transported over 500,000 passengers, with a peak daily ridership of 2,932, according to China Railway Guangzhou Group.
The first high-speed train linking the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and the western area of Hunan province passes dozens of iconic scenic spots. [Photo by Qiu Quanlin/chinadaily.com.cn]
The train is the first major transportation artery connecting the Greater Bay Area with the western part of Hunan. Its operation has added a new chapter to regional coordinated development, according to the railway group.
The train travels north along the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong High-Speed Railway and Beijing-Guangzhou High-Speed Railway arteries, passing dozens of scenic spots in the western area of Hunan.
The number of Hong Kong tourists traveling to western Hunan has increased by 57 percent, while tourists traveling through the high-speed route to Hong Kong to shop and study account for 23 percent of the cross-border passenger flow, according to data from the railway company.
The first high-speed train linking the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and the western area of Hunan province passes dozens of iconic scenic spots. [Photo by Qiu Quanlin/chinadaily.com.cn]
According to the cultural and tourism authorities in Zhangjiajie, the number of inbound tourists to major attractions in the city has exceeded 820,000 since early 2025, a 68.95 percent year-on-year increase.
On April 19, the number of inbound tourists to Zhangjiajie reached 19,018, with visitors from Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan accounting for 26.76 percent, according to local cultural and tourism authorities.
The first high-speed train linking the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and the western area of Hunan province passes dozens of iconic scenic spots. [Photo by Qiu Quanlin/chinadaily.com.cn]
The opening of the high-speed train has led to a 4.6-fold increase in homestay bookings along the route, according to cultural and tourism authorities in the Xiangxi Tujia and Miao autonomous prefecture.
The first high-speed train linking the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and the western area of Hunan province passes dozens of iconic scenic spots. [Photo by Qiu Quanlin/chinadaily.com.cn]
