Greater Bay Area cities to be reachable in 30 minutes

A computerized image of an undersea tunnel of the Shenzhen-Zhongshan Link.

Shenzhen is trying to become a model international transport hub through which the core cities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area can be reached within 30 minutes, according to a draft plan the city’s transport authority released Monday to solicit public opinions.

Under the plan, high-speed rails will connect 90 percent of the core cities in the Pan-Pearl River Delta area and international travelers will make up 25 percent of total passengers of the Shenzhen airport by 2035.

To achieve this aim, the Shenzhen airport will push ahead with expansion projects, including construction of a satellite hall, a third runway, Terminal 4 and the rapid transit system. It will enhance cooperation with neighboring Huizhou City and give full play to Huizhou Pingtan Airport as Shenzhen’s second airport.

Helipads will be planned at the Shenzhen airport, piers, scenic spots, financial and technology centers and other places across the city that require general aviation services.

A high-speed rail network, backboned by the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong, Shenzhen-Xiamen and Shenzhen-Ganzhou high-speed rails, will be formed in the city. A high-speed rail will be built to link downtown Shenzhen and Shenshan Special Cooperation Zone. The newly planned Shenzhen-Heyuan high-speed rail, which will be connected with the Guangzhou-Hangzhou high-speed rail, will strengthen the link between Shenzhen and the Yangzte River Delta region in East China. A second high-speed rail between Shenzhen and Guangzhou will be constructed and it will be connected with the Guangzhou-Yongzhou high-speed rail to reach a cluster of cities in Central China. The high-speed rails to Zhao-qing, Jiangmen and Nanning will open the gate to cities in western Guangdong Province and Southwest China.

Shenzhen will speed up the construction of the Xili high-speed train station and the Airport East transport hub, and push ahead the renovation projects of Shenzhen Railway Station, Guangming Station and Pingshan Station.

Construction of intercity rails with Huizhou, Dongguan, Guangzhou and Zhuhai will also forge ahead to facilitate transportation with neighboring cities.

Regarding Metro construction, the city will push forward the construction of Line 10, Line 11, Line 14 and Line 22, which will extend to Dongguan and Huizhou.

The plan also points out the construction of a corridor cluster across the Pearl River to strengthen ties between the cities on both banks of the river. The city will speed up the construction of Shenzhen-Zhongshan Link and road links on the Shenzhen side, including an interchange overpass with the Shenzhen airport and the Hezhou interchange overpass. The city is also studying the feasibility of extending the Outer Ring Road to the west bank of the Pearl River through a road and rail complex corridor across the Pearl River.

The city will set up ferry terminals in Qianhai and Yantian, and open sea routes to Zhongshan, Zhuhai, Hong Kong and Macao.