The first intercity railway line in Guangdong Province will open to traffic at the end of the month, connecting Guangzhou to Zhuhai. The trial run is scheduled to conclude on Dec. 15 and upon commencement of regular operations the Guangzhou-Zhuhai Intercity Railway will reduce travel time between the two cities to 45 minutes.
The Line
Along the line there will be a total of 23 railway stations, however some of them are still under construction. At initiation the course will be limited to running between Guangzhou South Railway Station and Zhuhai North Railway Station with other openings scheduled by the end of the year.
The whole line will be running on a viaduct with the main line accounting for 116 kilometers and branches adding 26.6 kilometers. The main line starts from the Guangzhou South Railway Station, passes through Shunde, Zhongshan and ends at Gongbei, Zhuhai. The branch line starts from Xiaolan Station, passes through Guzhen, Zhongshan, and ends at Xinhui, Jiangmen.
The Train
With 8 coaches and a total length of 213.5 meters, the train's top speed is 250 km/h. But at the early stages of operation, the speed will be limited to 200 km/h. Right now trial runs are being conducted along the line.
The Convenience
The Guangzhou-Zhuhai Intercity Railway will share a station with the Guangzhou metro allowing for easy and convenient transfers.
In addition to easy transfers between metro and railway, passengers will be able to park their cars at the West Square parking lot and go directly to the departure lounge. Furthermore riders can be dropped off outside of the security check hall, located on the third floor near the entrance of the West Square.
The Zhongshan Transit Buses
After the opening of its Guangzhu Line, Zhongshan will open nine new bus lines to support operations, according to Zhongshan Public Transportation Corporation. By the end of 2010, more than 100 shuttle buses will be put into transit.
The Tips:
Ticket machines are placed in the departure lounge with a "CRH" decal. They accept cash only.
The checking gates recognize magnetic tickets only. Smart cards, like Yangchengtong, are not available.
(By Zeng Xuli, Stephen Roberts)
