A high-speed train halts at Shenzhen North Railway Station. Photo courtesy of Shenzhen North Railway Station
The official bidding for the pre-feasibility study of the southern extension of the planned Second Guangzhou-Shenzhen High-Speed Railway has been launched, according to an announcement by the Shenzhen Public Resources Trading Center.
The extension is planned to begin at Shenzhen Airport Station, passing through Shenzhen's Bao’an, Qianhai, and Nanshan, and will ultimately reach Hong Kong’s Northern Metropolis and the Lantau metropolitan area.
This extension is likely to connect with the proposed Hong Kong-Shenzhen Western Rail Link. Scheduled for completion between 2034 and 2038, this 18.1-kilometer Hong Kong-Shenzhen Western Rail link — including an 8-kilometer section within Hong Kong — will start at Hung Shui Kiu Station on the Tuen Ma Line and link to Qianhai via the Shenzhen Bay Checkpoint.
A map illustrating the existing and planned high-speed rail connections between Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and Hong Kong. Photo from WeChat account "粤知社"
Approved by the National Development and Reform Commission in 2020 as a key initiative to enhance connectivity within the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, the Second Guangzhou-Shenzhen High-Speed Railway will link the Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport with the Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport. When operations begin in 2029, the travel time between the two airports will be reduced to just 20 minutes.
According to earlier media reports, the Second Guangzhou-Shenzhen High-Speed Railway will feature maglev trains capable of reaching speeds up to 600 kilometers per hour.
Currently, three railways serve the Shenzhen–Guangzhou corridor: the Guangzhou-Shenzhen Railway, the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link, and the Guangzhou-Dongguan-Shenzhen Intercity Rail.
At present, the journey from Shenzhen North Station to Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport takes about 1 hour and 46 minutes — comprising a 29-minute high-speed train ride from Shenzhen North to Guangzhou South Station, followed by a 77-minute Metro ride from Guangzhou South to the Baiyun airport.
