The newest high-speed railway service in the Greater Bay Area (GBA) started running on Tuesday, able to transport passengers between eastern Guangdong’s Shantou and Shanwei at speeds of up to 350 kilometres per hour.
The 162-kilometre line will significantly reduce travel times within the GBA, cutting the journeys between Shantou South and Shanwei, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen down to 36 minutes, 113 minutes, and 109 minutes, respectively, China Daily reports.
Road travel between Shantou and Shanwei takes at least two hours and 20 minutes, while driving between Shantou and Guangzhou takes more than four and a half hours without traffic.
[See more: The feasibility of connecting Macao to the high-speed rail network is being studied]
Complex hydrogeological challenges, including the coastal environment’s high salt content and humidity, made constructing the railway difficult. Several impressive feats of engineering, such as the Aojiang River Mega Bridge and the Huilai Tunnel, were pulled off as part of the project.
Only the 20-kilometre final leg of the high-speed railway, which incorporates an undersea tunnel in Shantou Bay in Guangdong, is yet to be completed.
The new railway’s inauguration coincides with the reopening of Guangzhou’s Baiyun Railway Station, which had been closed for renovations.
