Inter-airport corridor opened to further expand Pearl River Delta rail connectivity

CHINA: The opening of a strategically important artery linking two airports in southern China has added further connectivity to the sprawling rail and metro networks of the Pearl River Delta region around Guangzhou.

The 48.2 km Zhuliao – Xintang Nan section of the Guangzhou – Shenzhen Intercity Railway was inaugurated on August 1, completing a missing link between the two cities and creating a 160 km/h main line arc across the eastern side of the conurbation.

The opening enables through services to link Guangzhou’s Baiyun Airport and Bao’an Airport in Shenzhen, as well as adding seven more stations in the gap between the Guangzhou – Shenzhen Intercity Railway and the Guangzhou East Ring.

The Guangzhou – Shenzhen Intercity Railway has been opened in stages over recent years; the first was the 74 km section from Xintang Nan to Shenzhen airport where revenue services started on December 15 2019. The line linking Guangzhou Bei with Baiyun Airport North and Zhuliao was opened between 2020 and 2023, and the through route now forms a 152 km long axis which facilitates rail access across the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

A precursor to the completion of the Guangzhou – Shenzhen corridor was the opening on July 27 of the Dongguan West chord, which links the Guangzhou – Huizhou and Guangzhou – Shenzhen main lines. This allows through trains to operate without the need for reversal or a change of train at Dongguan Xi station. Completion of the chord has also enabled the introduction of direct services from Pazhou and Zhaoqing to Shenzhen Bao’an Airport.