On December 22, the Guangzhou-Zhanjiang High-Speed Railway was put into operation, reducing the travel time from Guangzhou to the westernmost city in the province to just 1.5 hours. At the same time, the Shantou South-Shantou section of the high-speed railway commenced operations, allowing travel between Guangzhou and Shantou, an eastern city in Guangdong, in just 2 hours.
Shantou, an economic special zone in the country, and Zhanjiang, a city renowned for its petrochemical industry with BASF's first wholly foreign-funded project in China, are two provincial sub-centers. Predictably, the two new high-speed railways will enhance connectivity within the province and inject momentum into cities along the two lines.
The Guangzhou-Zhanjiang High-Speed Railway spans 401 kilometers, linking seven cities: Guangzhou, Foshan, Zhaoqing, Yunfu, Yangjiang, Maoming, and Zhanjiang. During the initial phase of operations, up to 64 EMU train services will operate daily. The second-class fares from Guangzhou Baiyun Station to Zhanjiang North Station range from 264 to 280 yuan.
As the Shantou South-Shantou section commenced operations, the high-speed trains from Guangzhou/Shenzhen to Shantou have extended all 48 trains' terminal from Shantou South to Shantou Station, and two new trains have been added between Guangzhou and Shantou. Shantou Station is closer to downtown Shantou than Shantou South Station, providing more travel options for the public. Among these, the four fastest trains run from Guangzhou East Station to Shantou Station, with a journey time of 110 minutes, and two trains run from Shenzhen to Shantou in 99 minutes, reducing travel time by nearly 40% compared to before.
To date, Guangdong has made remarkable progress in railway development. The province's railway network has reached 6,433 kilometers in operation, including 3,411 kilometers of high-speed rail with design speeds of 200 km/h or above. The province has built a transport network that connects cities within the Pearl River Delta in under an hour, links major cities in Guangdong and Hunan within two hours, and provides access to the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region and the Yangtze River Delta within six to eight hours. In the future, Guangdong aims to link all 21 cities with the 350 km/h high-speed rail.
Reporter | Dai Bosi
Photo | China Railway Guangzhou Group
Editor | Hu Nan, James Campion, Shen He
