To accommodate the surge in return travel during the National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival holiday, Guangzhou has implemented extended public transport services and additional travel guidance from October 6 to 8, aiming to facilitate smooth journeys for residents and travelers.
Metro service adjustments
During this period, several Guangzhou metro lines will extend their service hours:
Lines 1, 3 (including the Northern Section of Line 3), 5, and the western section of Line 12 (Xunfenggang to Guangzhou Sports Museum) will extend service by one hour.
Lines 2 and 7 will extend service by two hours, with the last train departing from Guangzhou South Station at 1:30 the following morning.
Additionally, from 00:30 to 01:30, Lines 2 and 7 will operate express services from Guangzhou South Station with limited stops, allowing passengers to disembark only at the following stations:
Line 2 (Guangzhou South Station → Jiahewanggang): Stops at Guangzhou South Station, Nanpu, Luoxi, Changgang, Gongyuanqian, Guangzhou Railway Station, Sanyuanli, Jiangxia, and Jiahewanggang.
Line 7 (Guangzhou South Station → Jitang): Stops at Guangzhou South Station, Hanxi Changlong, Yuangang, Higher Education Mega Center South, Dashadong, and Jitang.
Intercity railway enhancements
From October 7 to 8, Guangdong Intercity will strengthen its transport capacity by:
Adding six additional train sets to its daily schedule.
Operating services on the "Foshan West → Huizhou North" and "Foshan West → Dongguan West" routes.
Arranging three backup train sets to be deployed according to real-time passenger flow at stations.
Increasing the number of station volunteers to assist passengers.
For ticket purchases, Guangdong Intercity supports a dual ticketing system: the intercity railway bus-like multiple payment system (using the Guangzhou Metro app, national transportation union cards, Lingnan Pass, or Yangchengtong) allows boarding without pre-booking, while the 12306 system offers "same-day valid tickets" without assigned seats.
Bus services
During the nighttime return travel peak, bus services at major transport hubs like Guangzhou Railway Station, Guangzhou East Station, Guangzhou South Station, and Guangzhou Baiyun Station will adopt measures such as "scheduled + rolling departures" and dynamically extend service times until 20 minutes after the last train arrives.
Road travel advisory
Transport authorities note that the peak travel period for expressways and major roads is expected between 15:00 and 22:00 from October 6 to 8, with average road speeds potentially dropping to around 65 km/h. Key sections prone to congestion include:
North Ring Expressway (Shabei Interchange to Baiyun Tunnel, Guangdan to Cencun Interchange)
North Second Ring Expressway (Longshan to Banghu, Changping to Luogang)
East Second Ring Expressway (Huangpu Bridge)
Airport Expressway (Pingsha to Sanyuanli)
Huanan Expressway (Chungang Interchange to Cencun Interchange)
Guanfo Expressway (Tanwei Interchange to Humen Bridge)
Recommended detour routes
To avoid congestion, motorists are advised to consider the following alternative routes:
Heading to Dongguan and Shenzhen from northern areas (e.g., Hunan, Qingyuan, Shaoguan): Use the Pearl River Delta Ring (North Third Ring), Huagan Expressway, and Congpu Expressway to bypass congested sections like the Airport Expressway and Beijing-Hong Kong-Macao Expressway.
Heading to Foshan, Zhongshan, and Zhuhai from northern areas: Use the Foqingcong Expressway, Pearl River Delta Ring, Xuguang Expressway, and Foshan Ring to bypass the Airport Expressway and Ring Expressway.
Airport Expressway: Travelers from Shaoguan and Hunan can use local roads like G106 or expressways like Xuguang and Guanglian (connected to the Second Airport Expressway) to avoid peak-hour congestion. Airport passengers can use Helong Road (G106) and Konggang Avenue to bypass congested interchanges.
Huanan Expressway: Travelers from eastern Guangdong can use the Shenhai Expressway (North Second Ring) to enter the city via Guangshan Road to avoid congestion at the Chungang Interchange.
Author | Jiang Chang
Photo | Guangzhou Metro, Guangzhou Transportation Bureau
Editor | Wei Shen, James Campion, Shen He
