On December 22nd, the Guangzhou-Zhanjiang High-Speed Railway (Guang-Zhan HSR) officially commenced operations. This rail line, with a total length of 401 kilometers and a designed speed of 350 kilometers per hour, connects seven cities: Guangzhou, Foshan, Zhaoqing, Yunfu, Yangjiang, Maoming, and Zhanjiang. The vision of "morning yum cha in Guangzhou, noon seafood in Zhanjiang" is now a reality. The Guang-Zhan HSR will lead Western Guangdong into a new era of deep integration with the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA).

The Guang-Zhan HSR is Guangdong's highest-standard, longest, and largest-investment railway project, showcasing impressive engineering feats with 190 bridges and 50 tunnels. During its construction, it achieved two industry milestones: the successful completion of the Zhanjiang Bay Undersea Tunnel, China's longest blind heading undersea tunnel, and the construction of the Foshan Grand Bridge, the world's largest-span ballastless track cable-stayed bridge. The line balances cutting-edge technology with human-centric design, featuring fully enclosed noise barriers to minimize community noise, along with thoughtful amenities such as quiet carriages and baby-care tables to enhance the travel experience.

With the line now open, travel times from Guangzhou Baiyun Railway Station to Zhanjiangbei Railway Station and Maoming South Station are drastically reduced to just 1 hour 32 minutes and 1 hour 20 minutes, respectively, significantly improving connectivity for residents along the route. This empowers Western Guangdong, once considered the GBA's "rear base," to accelerate its transformation into a "forward position" actively participating in the industrial division of labor within the GBA.

Looking ahead, the Guang-Zhan HSR will interconnect with the Hepu-Zhanjiang High-Speed Railway and Zhanjiang-Haikou High-Speed Railway. This will not only optimize the national high-speed rail network but also forge a crucial link between the GBA, the Beibu Gulf Economic Zone, and the Hainan Free Trade Port. It lays a solid transportation foundation for coordinated regional development.

广湛高铁今日通车！让粤西与湾区共赴美好未来

12月22日，广湛高铁正式通车。这条全长401公里、设计时速350公里的钢铁动脉，串联广州、佛山、肇庆、云浮、阳江、茂名、湛江七地，让“早饮广府茶，午食湛江鲜”的愿景照进现实，广湛高铁将引领粤西迈入与大湾区深度融合的同城时代。

广湛高铁是广东自主投建标准最高、线路最长、投资最大的铁路项目，全线建有190座桥梁、50座隧道，建设中创下两项行业之最——国内独头掘进最长海底隧道湛江湾隧道顺利贯通，世界最大跨度无砟轨道斜拉桥佛山特大桥凌空落成。线路兼顾技术硬核与人文温度，全封闭式声屏障守护市井安宁，静音车厢、母婴护理台等贴心配置，为旅途添满暖意。

通车后，广州白云站至湛江北站、茂名南站最快仅需1小时32分、1小时20分，大幅提升沿线居民出行效率。助力昔日大湾区“后方基地”的粤西，加速蜕变为深度参与大湾区产业分工的“前沿阵地”。

广湛高铁未来还将与合湛高铁、湛海高铁互联互通，既完善全国高铁网络布局，更搭建起粤港澳大湾区与北部湾经济区、海南自贸港紧密联动的纽带，为区域协同发展筑牢交通根基。

文丨景瑾瑾
译 | 黄宇洁
审校 | 肖凯欣