The express railway connecting Guangzhou with Shenzhen will be put into service as of August 10, right before the opening of the Universiade this year in Shenzhen, officials say.
This section is an extension of the Wuhan – Guangzhou Express Railway and part of the future Guangzhou – Shenzhen – Hong Kong Express Rail Link. When opened, the Guangzhou – Shenzhen segment will compress the journey between the cities to 25 minutes with a maximum speed of 300 kmh.
The 105-kilometer railway starts at Guangzhou South Station, goes through Dongchong Station, near Guangzhou’s metro station of the same name, and stops at the Humen Station in Dongguan. Other stops include the Guangming Station in the latest developing area of Shenzhen, and the last stop at Shenzhen North Station in the city’s suburb. Reportedly, the railway will extend to the city center’s Futian Station next year.
Ticket vending machines will be available in the stations, where passengers can use cash or credit cards after scanning an ID card.
Eventually, there will be three lines running on this railway from Shenzhen to Guangzhou, Changsha and Wuhan respectively. The journey time from Shenzhen to Wuhan will be about 3.5 hours.
Final service plans include a stretch to Beijing to begin next year, bringing the traveling time between Guangzhou and Beijing below eight hours, and a closer segment between Guangzhou and Hong Kong, which will take 36 minutes. This section should reach Hong Kong in 2014.