京港高铁关键区段拟于9月开通，强化香港与北京及中部地区铁路连接

A new high-speed railway section connecting Beijing to Xiongan and central Chinese provinces is poised to begin operations this month, filling a missing link in the sprawling, 2,370km (1,472-mile) train journey from the nation’s capital to Hong Kong. By enabling more direct connectivity and train services to and from Hong Kong for northern and central regions, China aims to inject fresh development impetus into the Greater Bay Area – an integrated economic hub linking several southern cities – and inland regions. The Beijing-to-Hong Kong high-speed line is a combination of individual sections that have gradually become operational over the years, including a link that opened in 2018 and connects Hong Kong and Guangzhou via Shenzhen. The latest section, which will complete the railway, is from Beijing to the Xiongan New Area – a state-level megacity in Hebei province, as well as a signature project of President Xi Jinping, aimed at relieving urban pressure on the capital. From there, the railway will continue to the central province of Henan and extend into Hong Kong. China Railway Group said that once the different sections of the network were fully interconnected – expected in 2027 – direct, express services will be substantially boosted for Hongkongers travelling to the national capital and into the mainland’s central heartland. Currently, there are only two daily bullet train services between Beijing and the Hong Kong West Kowloon terminus, with travel times varying between eight and 10 hours each way. With the full railway operational, agrarian regions and tourist hotspots in Hebei, Shandong, Anhui and Jiangxi provinces will also have express rail connections to the Greater Bay Area. “When the full railway [between Beijing and Hong Kong] is up and running, central regions can expect more tourism and investment, while Hong Kong can be further [integrated] into the national rail network for synergised development,” said a recent research report from the Institute of Public Policy at the South China University of Technology in Guangzhou. “For Hong Kong, although it already welcomed mainland China’s bullet trains back in 2018, most train services are within Guangdong province,” the report said. “With the full rail line between the city and Beijing taking shape, [Hong Kong will have a] dedicated direct link to the capital city. It marks an elevation of its status in China’s national transport.” The Beijing-Hong Kong express rail link, which runs parallel to the existing link between Beijing and Guangzhou, will also alleviate congestion and meet the demand from rising ridership between central mainland regions and Guangdong, China’s largest provincial economy.