A much-anticipated high-speed rail line linking Hong Kong, Shenzhen and Guangzhou is scheduled to start service on September 23, SZNews.com reported, citing unnamed Hong Kong media sources.
The opening of the line, which is expected to shorten the Shenzhen-Hong Kong commute to as little as 14 minutes, is pretty much on schedule with announcements made earlier this year. We first caught wind of the train last March, when CCTV News reported that it would cut travel time between Guangzhou and Hong Kong from two hours to just 48 minutes.
A new Hong Kong stop – West Kowloon – will connect to existing stations Futian, Shenzhen North and Guangmingcheng in Shenzhen, Humen in Dongguan, and Qingsheng and Guangzhou South in Guangzhou's Panyu District.
READ MORE: The Transformation of China's High-Speed Train Network
Image via Altt311/Wikimedia
The new line will also link up with China's national high-speed rail, allowing PRD passengers to travel to cities such as Wuhan in as little as four and a half hours. Long-distance trains on the Hong Kong-Shenzhen-Guangzhou line will connect to 14 cities across Chinese mainland, including Beijing and Shanghai.
Authorities are betting that customers will pay more for added convenience – according to reports in January, the new railway will cost cross-border passengers RMB214 (HKD260) to travel from Guangzhou South to Hong Kong. Fares from Futian and Shenzhen North will be priced at RMB66 (HKD80) and RMB74 (HKD90), respectively, while a Humen-Hong Kong trip will cost RMB173 (HKD210).
A 'co-location agreement' that allows mainland officers to conduct immigration checks and enforce law in the new West Kowloon station, while raising controversy in Hong Kong, also promises to smooth the journey of cross-border travelers.
READ MORE: China to Soon Begin Testing on Super-Fast 1,000km/h Maglev Train
[Cover image via Baycrest/Wikimedia]
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