Guangzhou Metro to extend service
Guangzhou Metro will extend operating hours on several lines during the upcoming Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holidays.
Passenger traffic is expected to exceed 11 million on September 24, the day before the Mid-Autumn Festival, and average more than 8 million a day during the September 25–27 holiday.
(Photo: Guangzhou Metro)
On September 25 and 27, Lines 1, 2, 3, 5, 7 and 8, as well as Line 12 between Xunfenggang and Guangzhou Gymnasium, will run for an extra hour. Line 2 trains from Jiahewanggang to Guangzhou South Railway Station will start 30 minutes earlier on September 25.
The National Day travel peak is expected on September 30, with more than 11.9 million passenger trips forecast. Average daily traffic is expected to reach about 8.5 million during the seven-day holiday.
On September 30 and October 1, Lines 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8 and 22, as well as Line 12 between Xunfenggang and Guangzhou Gymnasium, will extend services by one hour. Line 2 will again start 30 minutes earlier on October 1.
From October 5 to October 7, Lines 1, 3, 5, 8, 12 and 22 will run one hour longer, while Lines 2 and 7 will extend services by two hours. Late-night express trains will stop only at major stations from 12:30 a.m. to 1:30 a.m. on Lines 2 and 7. Passengers can get off but not board at intermediate stations.
Line 14 will also add shuttle services between Jiahewanggang and Taiping on October 7 from 2 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
The city will also boost metro capacity for major holiday events. Lines 4 and 21 will increase services for concerts at Huangcun Station (Guangdong Olympic Sports Center) from October 2 to October 4, while Line 8 will run more frequently during the Comic Festival at Pazhou from October 2 to October 5.
Guangdong intercity rail to add 274 holiday services
Guangdong's intercity rail network will add 274 train services during the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holidays as authorities prepare for a surge in passenger demand. Tickets for some services will also be available up to 10 days in advance, rather than the usual three.
(Photo: Nanfang Daily)
The additional services will run on busy sections of the network's six intercity rail lines from September 24 to October 7.
The busiest days will be October 1, with 48 extra services, and September 30, with 31. Another 23 will run on September 24 and 27, and October 7, with 18 on each of the remaining days: September 25–26 and October 2–6.
Passengers can check schedules through the Guangzhou Metro (广州地铁) app, Guangdong Intercity's (广东城际) official WeChat account or China's 12306 railway ticketing platform.
Longer ticket window, earlier morning service
Tickets for the six intercity lines will be available 10 days before departure from 2 p.m. on September 21 through September 28. That means tickets for October 1 will go on sale at 2 p.m. on September 21, while tickets for October 8 will be available on September 28.
The advance-purchase window will return to three days from 2 p.m. on October 6, when tickets for October 9 go on sale.
The C4731 service on the Guangzhou-Huizhou intercity railway, bound for Huizhou North, will start at Panyu Station on September 25 and 28 and October 1, 7 and 8 to connect with late-night high-speed rail services. The station will open at 5:30 a.m. on those days.
The discount rates on the Guangzhou-Zhaoqing and Guangzhou East Ring intercity railways will also change during the holiday period. Fares will be 25 percent lower through September 23 and 10 percent lower from September 24 through October 11. The regular discount schedule will resume on October 12, with 25 percent discounts from Monday to Thursday and 10 percent discounts from Friday to Sunday.
Passengers can use the Guangzhou Metro app's intercity QR code, registered Yang Cheng Tong (Canton Pass), China T-Union or Lingnan Pass cards, or buy tickets through the 12306 app to receive the applicable discounts.
The operator advised passengers to allow extra time at stations during the holidays and follow staff instructions when boarding and leaving trains. Trains have passenger capacity limits, and additional services may be arranged if cars become overcrowded.
(Photo: Guangdong Intercity)
Guangdong Intercity adjusts schedules with more Guangzhou-Shenzhen services
Starting September 19, new timetables will take effect for selected intercity rail lines in Guangdong. The revised schedules are designed to boost transport capacity on the Guangzhou-Shenzhen Intercity Railway.
The new timetables retain a bus-style operation model, combining all-stop and express services with both 4-car and 8-car EMUs.
An additional EMU set will be deployed on the Guangzhou-Shenzhen Intercity Railway, further improving connectivity between the two major airport hubs in Guangzhou and Shenzhen. Under the new timetables, the Guangdong Intercity rail network will operate 327 trains daily.
(Photo: Guangdong Intercity)
On the Guangzhou-Shenzhen Intercity Railway, all-stop services between Zhuliao and Shenzhen Airport will increase from 34 to 41 per day, while express services between Baiyun Airport North and Shenzhen Airport will rise from 4 to 13. Zhongluotandong and Folang stations will each see 12 trains stop daily.
Passengers can check the latest timetables and purchase tickets via the WeChat official account of Guangdong Intercity or the China Railway 12306 platform.
Train tickets for holidays are on sale
China's National Day holiday runs from October 1 to 7. Based on the 15-day advance ticket sales period, tickets for September 30, the day before the holiday, went on sale on September 16, while tickets for October 1, the first day of the holiday, went on sale on September 17.
Tickets for travel from September 23 to 29, including the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday, are now on sale. Here is the ticket booking schedule for the National Day holiday.
Nighttime high-speed trains to run on multiple major high-speed rail corridors
As this year's Mid-Autumn Festival falls close to the National Day holiday, railway passenger services for the combined holiday period will begin on September 23 and run through October 8, spanning 16 days. October 1 is expected to be the peak travel day.
(Photo: Nanfang Plus)
Railways nationwide will operate on peak schedules, taking measures such as adding nighttime high-speed trains and high-speed sleeper trains, coupling multiple-unit trains and adding carriages to regular-speed passenger trains. Train operation plans will be dynamically optimized to maximize capacity on popular routes, with an average of about 13,000 passenger trains expected to run daily.
During the peak period, railway authorities will operate nighttime high-speed trains on major high-speed rail corridors, including the Beijing-Shanghai, Beijing-Guangzhou, and Beijing-Harbin lines. Additional high-speed sleeper trains will also run on selected peak travel days on routes from Beijing to Shenzhen, Nanning, Zhanjiang, Zhuhai, the Chaoshan region, Kunming, Hong Kong SAR, Chengdu, Guiyang and other destinations.
Cover image: Nanfang Daily, AI-enhanced
