Shenzhen will initiate a study over a super-speed rail linking Shenzhen and Guangzhou, an official with the Shenzhen transport commission said yesterday.
At a meeting outlining the major work of the commission for 2019, Yu Baoming, director of the commission, said the city will make detailed plans on the construction of the Shenzhen-Shanwei High-speed Railway, Shenzhen-Zhaoqing High-speed Railway and Shenzhen-Nanning High-speed Railway in an effort to become an international transport hub in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.
Yu didn’t give details about the super-speed rail between Shenzhen and Guangzhou, but according to an earlier Dongguan government report, Dongguan will take the opportunity to become a stop on the line.
“Although many details are undecided, the rail will certainly pass through Dongguan and this will be a good opportunity for Dongguan to improve its high-speed rail capabilities,” said Li Haitian with Dongguan Rail Transportation Bureau in an interview with local newspapers following the release of the government report 10 days ago.
“The province plans to set up a stop near Houjie, but Dongguan recommended the stop be located at Liaobu,” said Li.
The project will be initiated in 2025 if it is listed among the current projects of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, otherwise it will be initiated in 10 years’ time.
At present, there are two expressways, one high-speed rail and one inter-city rail linking Shenzhen and Guangzhou. The inter-city rail and high-speed rail are at full capacity. Construction of a second high-speed rail is badly needed.
At the 2018 Guangzhou Design Forum last December, Chen Xiangsheng, an academician of Chinese Academy of Engineering, said the second high-speed rail is different from the present inter-city rail. The second high-speed rail is designated to have a maximum speed of 600 kilometers per hour, double the speed of the present Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong High-speed Rail. When it is put into use, it will take 15 minutes to commute between the two cities.
At the ongoing annual session of Guangdong’s political advisory body, political adviser Wang Lizong suggested that Guangdong take the opportunity to apply to State agencies to pilot a maglev high-speed rail between Shenzhen and Guangzhou.
“Guangdong should list it in the Greater Bay Area inter-city rail network plan and submit it to central agencies for approval,” Wang said.
The State agencies are planning to construct the first maglev high-speed lines, and the Guangzhou-Shenzhen area has the advantages and conditions to experiment with maglev technologies, he said.