Plans to “actively” develop a high-speed rail route connecting the Guangdong cities of Zhuhai, Jiangmen and Yangjiang are currently underway, according to Yangjiang transport officials at a meeting on 26 February.
Various Chinese-language media outlets report that the proposed route will span approximately 172 kilometres, with trains reaching a speed of 350 kilometres per hour.
Under plans published by the Zhuhai government in November 2022, Zhuhai Central Station (Hezhou) would serve as the origin station, with trains passing through Guanghaiwan Economic Zone in Jiangmen and terminating at Yangjiang North Station.
Both ends of the Zhuhai-Yangjiang route would be linked to major railway lines. The Zhuhai Central Station (Hezhou) would connect to the Shenzhen-Zhuhai high-speed railway, as well as the Zhuhai-Zhaoqing route, while Yangjiang North Station would join with the Guangdong-Zhanjiang line.
Once fully constructed, the railway network would allow for travel between Zhuhai and Zhanjiang’s city centre within 75 minutes.
The 2022 document mentioned that construction of the Zhuhai-Yangjiang line would strengthen rail transport along the west of the Pearl River Delta region, establishing links with the five special economic zones of Xiamen, Shantou, Shenzhen, Zhuhai and Hainan.
At the same time, the proposed line would allow for links with national strategic zones such as the Yangtze Delta region, the Greater Bay Area and Beibu Gulf urban cluster, supporting the coordinated development of these areas.
[See more: Hong Kong expands high-speed rail links with 16 new mainland destinations]
The Zhuhai-Yangjiang route is just one of 27 major key transport construction projects that Yangjiang transport officials said would be advanced this year.
At last month’s meeting, which was centered around development proposals during the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026 to 2030), Yangjiang government representatives also pledged to invest more than 4 billion yuan this year.
Currently, there are a number of other railway projects taking place in the Greater Bay Area (GBA), including the 184.5 kilometre Zhuhai-Zhaoqing high-speed rail route, which is being constructed in three segments that stretch between Zhuhai and Jiangmen, Jiangmen and Foshan Gaoming International Airport, as well as Gaoming and the east of Zhaoqing.
According to reports, the Jiangmen to Foshan Gaoming International Airport section of the Zhuhai-Zhaoqing line is expected to come into operation within 2025, with the whole route set to be ready for service by 2027.
Meanwhile, a Shenzhen-Jiangmen route is also being built, with the aim of reducing travel between the two cities to within one hour.
The GBA’s railway network has been developing rapidly in recent years, as local authorities push to develop a “one-hour living circle” across the region in an effort to facilitate integration between the GBA’s various cities.
As of 2024, the GBA’s 9 mainland cities operated more than 2,800 kilometres of railway tracks as well as 1,477 kilometres of urban rail transit tracks.
