New progress has been made in the construction of the Beijing-Kowloon High-Speed Railway connecting Hong Kong. On the 4th, the reporter learned from the "Tender Announcement for Geological Survey Supervision at the Final Survey and Supplementary Final Survey Stage of the New Ganzhou-Shenzhen Passenger Dedicated Line (Guangdong Section)" released by the Guangzhou Public Resources Trading Center that, as an important part of the Beijing-Kowloon High-Speed Railway, the route alignment of the Ganzhou-Shenzhen High-Speed Railway (Ganzhou-Shenzhen) has been finalized. It is expected to start construction at the end of this year and be completed in 2020, with a total of 12 stations. By then, Hong Kong residents taking the train from Hong Kong to Tangxia Town in Dongguan will be shortened to about 20 minutes, and travel to many places in Jiangxi will save two-thirds of the time compared with now. After the entire Beijing-Kowloon High-Speed Railway opens, it will take only about 7 hours from Hong Kong to Beijing.
　　As a major high-speed railway artery running north-south, the construction of the Beijing-Kowloon High-Speed Railway has been explicitly included in the national "13th Five-Year Plan." The high-speed railway will also connect with the Shanghai-Kunming High-Speed Railway, the Southeast Coastal Railway, etc., linking the Bohai Rim, the Pearl River Delta, and the Yangtze River Delta, further activating the national high-speed railway network. At present, projects in Hebei, Shandong, Henan, Anhui, Hubei, Jiangxi, and other provinces along the route have successively entered the preparation or construction stage; and the route alignment of the Guangdong section connecting Hong Kong has also been clarified in the newly released tender announcement.
　　The tender announcement shows that the route alignment of the Guangdong section of the Beijing-Kowloon High-Speed Railway will explicitly adopt the plan of "passing through Huizhou, Dongguan, and entering Shenzhen North Station." According to this plan, the Ganzhou-Shenzhen High-Speed Railway has a total length of over 432 kilometers and will have 12 stations: Ganzhou West, Xinfeng West, Longnan East, Dingnan West, Heping East, Longchuan West, Dongyuan, Heyuan East, Boluo North, Huizhou North, Tangxia, and Shenzhen North. Among them, 10 stations are newly built, and 2 existing stations are used (Shenzhen North Station and Ganzhou West Station). The new main line project includes 242 bridges totaling over 168 kilometers and 149 tunnels totaling over 174 kilometers.
　　10 new stations in the Ganzhou-Shenzhen section
　　Among them, Tangxia Station will be set up in Tangxia Town, Dongguan City, meaning that both the Beijing-Kowloon and Beijing-Guangzhou high-speed railways will pass through Dongguan, the "world's factory" (the Beijing-Guangzhou High-Speed Railway has Humen Station in Dongguan), making it more convenient for Hong Kong businessmen gathered in Dongguan to travel south and north.
　　Northern Guangdong included in high-speed rail network for the first time
　　The Beijing-Kowloon High-Speed Railway passes through Heyuan City, bringing Heyuan and other areas of northern Guangdong into the mainland high-speed rail network for the first time. The reporter learned from the Heyuan municipal government that, in order to further connect with the Beijing-Kowloon High-Speed Railway, Heyuan is currently working with Guangzhou, Zhaoqing, and Zhanjiang to plan a new high-speed railway, namely the "Heyuan-Guangzhou-Zhaoqing-Zhanjiang High-Speed Railway," which means the Beijing-Kowloon High-Speed Railway can be transferred and connected in Heyuan, adding a convenient new channel into the Guangzhou hub.
　　It is reported that the Guangdong section of the Beijing-Kowloon High-Speed Railway has been included by the Guangdong provincial government in the 2016 project construction plan and is expected to start construction at the end of this year and be completed and opened around 2020. The current tender announcement also clarifies that the designed speed of the high-speed railway will reach 350 km/h. By then, Hong Kong residents can take the Hong Kong section of the high-speed rail north to Shenzhen North Station, then pass through Dongguan, Huizhou, and Heyuan into Jiangxi, and then cross multiple provinces directly to Beijing. In addition, the Ganzhou-Shenzhen High-Speed Railway will connect north to the under-construction Nanchang-Ji'an-Ganzhou High-Speed Railway, reducing the mileage from Nanchang to Shenzhen to 840 kilometers, with the whole journey taking only about 3 hours.
　　Compared with the current conventional train from Shenzhen to Ganzhou, which takes at least 5 hours and 29 minutes, after the completion of the Beijing-Kowloon High-Speed Railway, it will take only 2 hours between Shenzhen and Ganzhou. After the entire Beijing-Kowloon High-Speed Railway opens, it will take only about 7 hours from Hong Kong to Beijing, more convenient than the approximately 9 hours required by the Beijing-Guangzhou High-Speed Railway.
　　New channel for Hong Kong residents going north to Foshan
　　The "Guangzhou Hub New Danzao to Foshan West Connecting Line and Guangzhou-Zhuhai Railway Passenger Transport Renovation Project" is currently undergoing its first environmental impact assessment public notice. The Guangdong Provincial Railway Investment Group stated that the Guangzhou-Zhuhai Railway, which currently handles freight, will undergo passenger transport renovation, and a new connecting line will be built to connect with the under-construction Shenzhen-Maoming High-Speed Railway. By then, Hong Kong residents will have another new route option, taking the high-speed rail directly to Foshan and Maoming and other areas in western Guangdong.
　　The Guangzhou-Zhuhai Railway was opened at the end of December 2012, running through Guangzhou, Foshan, Jiangmen, and Zhuhai, with a speed of 120 km/h. It mainly handles freight and reserves conditions for passenger transport, with a designed annual freight volume of 60 million tons. However, the current traffic volume of the Guangzhou-Zhuhai Railway is relatively low, sometimes with only five or six freight trains passing per day, far from the original expectation, and the huge transport capacity has not been fully utilized. The Guangzhou-Zhuhai Intercity Railway, which handles passenger transport, is very popular during holidays.
　　The Guangdong Provincial Railway Investment Group revealed that the feasibility study review meeting for the related project was held earlier in Foshan. The review meeting considered it necessary and feasible to build the Danzao to Foshan West Railway and carry out passenger transport renovation of the Guangzhou-Zhuhai Railway. The first environmental impact assessment public notice for the related project is currently being conducted.
　　Guangzhou-Zhuhai Railway to connect with Shenzhen-Maoming High-Speed Railway
　　The project mainly includes two parts: the new connecting line from Danzao Station of the Guangzhou-Zhuhai Railway to Foshan West Station; and the passenger transport renovation project from Jiangmen South Station to Danzao Station of the Guangzhou-Zhuhai Railway, which will intersect with the Shenzhen-Maoming High-Speed Railway at Jiangmen South Station. The new connecting line is planned to be put into trial operation by the end of this year.
　　In the future, Hong Kong residents going north to Foshan and other places will have a new convenient channel. Hong Kong residents can take the Hong Kong section of the high-speed rail via Shenzhen North Station, directly along the Shenzhen-Maoming High-Speed Railway to Maoming and other areas in western Guangdong; or via Jiangmen South Station, where the Shenzhen-Maoming High-Speed Railway intersects with the Guangzhou-Zhuhai Railway, passing through Danzao Station of the Guangzhou-Zhuhai Railway to Foshan West Station, to reach the Guangzhou-Foshan area in as fast as 1 hour.
　　Some industry insiders predict that after the passenger transport renovation of the Jiangmen South Station to Danzao Station section of the Guangzhou-Zhuhai Railway, the entire line will gradually undergo passenger transport renovation according to demand, and the speed will be increased from the current 120 km/h to a maximum of 250 km/h. Stations along the line may be upgraded to dual-purpose passenger and freight stations, or new stations may be set up. In this way, the Guangzhou-Zhuhai Railway can more fully exert its overall efficiency on the west bank of the Pearl River.
　　Monthly trips to Hong Kong to enjoy the scenery
　　Ms. Li settled in Shenzhen in 2001 due to work. In her words, she likes Hong Kong's Hong Kong-style culture. She believes that Hong Kong is a place where Chinese and Western cultures are very well combined, and the most important thing about going to Hong Kong is to experience the Hong Kong-style atmosphere.
　　At 7 a.m. on the first Saturday of every month, Ms. Li and her family have already arrived at Luohu Port to prepare for departure. They rush to the century-old Lin Heung Tea House in Central to enjoy traditional authentic morning tea. This has been Ms. Li's habit for many years. Afterwards, they may stroll along the Avenue of Stars, or go to Times Square to browse bookstores, or go to shopping malls to look at discounted goods, and then take the Star Ferry to enjoy the Victoria Harbour night view... The day is always particularly fulfilling.
　　Ms. Li also helps friends buy some electronic products and backup medicines, and then returns to Shenzhen by MTR. Although time is rushed, that experience seems addictive, making Ms. Li go to Hong Kong as promised every month.