"I'm heading to celebrate my daughter's birthday in Guangzhou today," Ms. Zhou said with delight while waiting in the departure hall at Hong Kong West Kowloon Station. In just 55 minutes, she would be warmly embracing her daughter. Such a pace of life has long become a microcosm of daily life in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA). From Hong Kong to Shenzhen North Railway Station, the fastest journey takes only 17 minutes; to Guangzhou South Railway Station, just 47 minutes. The cumulative cross-boundary passenger volume has surpassed 100 million since the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong high-speed railway commenced operations more than seven years ago. 

Over the past seven years, the average daily cross-boundary passenger volume has climbed from fewer than 40,000 to nearly 100,000, and the number of direct destination cities has expanded from over 40 to 110. Following the railway timetable adjustment in January this year, 415 trains plied on the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong high-speed railway on the busiest day, with the line ranking among the busiest high-speed railway routes in the country. "Even working late until 10 p.m., I can still catch a train back to Shenzhen.," said Ms. Lin, who lives in Shenzhen but works in Hong Kong. With the launch of new ticketing options such as "Trip Pass" and "Flexi-trip", commuters like her can now arrange their journeys with far greater flexibility.

One railway line creates an entire industrial belt. "I take the high-speed railway to commute between Hong Kong and Qianhai every week. Hong Kong's capital market helps my company secure financing, while Shenzhen's industrial chain turns our products into reality. The high-speed rail has made the complementary advantages of the two places easily accessible," said Mr. Zhong, a young Hong Kong entrepreneur. He founded a technology company in Shenzhen's Qianhai area, leveraging its favorable policies and Shenzhen's scientific and technological innovation resources. The company's artificial intelligence products quickly entered the market. Similarly, the high-speed railway is a key factor for Hong Kong elderly people choosing to spend their retirement in the cities on the Chinese mainland. According to data from the Legislative Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region last year, nearly 100,000 Hong Kong residents aged 65 and above have settled in Guangdong. Seventy-three-year-old Ms. Li is one of them. She has lived in a senior care facility in Shenzhen's Guangming District for a year and a half. "The convenient high-speed railway and the living environment were the main reasons I chose to retire in a mainland city," she said. "My daughter can visit me on weekends, and I can return to Hong Kong anytime to see old friends."

Data further reflects this growing integration. In 2025, the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong high-speed railway transported 35.794 million cross-boundary passengers, an increase of 17.8%. From January 1st to February 28^th, 2026, the railway had already carried more than 5.5 million cross-boundary passengers.

Linked by the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong high-speed railway, new stories of the GBA unfold every day, bringing its cities closer together and integrating their development more deeply.

【视频】广深港高铁跨境客流破亿背后的湾区故事

“我今天要去给在广州工作的女儿过生日。”周女士坐在香港西九龙站候车室满脸愉悦。55分钟后，她便能与女儿温暖相拥。这样的生活节奏，早已成为大湾区的日常缩影。从香港到深圳北最快只需17分钟，到广州南最快仅需47分钟。广深港高铁开通七年多，累计跨境客流已突破1亿人次。

七年来，日均跨境客流从不到4万人次攀升至近10万人次，直达城市从40多个扩展至110个。今年1月运行图调整后，广深港高铁单日最高开行列车达415列，跻身全国最繁忙的高铁线路之列。“哪怕加班到晚上十点，现在也还有车回深圳。”家住深圳，在香港工作的林女士感叹。随着“计次票”“灵活行”等新票制推出，像她这样的通勤旅客得以在行程选择上更从容。

一条铁路，就是一条产业带。“每周我都要坐高铁往返香港和前海，香港的资本市场能为公司融资，深圳的产业链能实现产品落地，高铁让两地的优势互补变得触手可及。”香港青年创业者钟先生在深圳前海注册了科技公司，依托前海的政策优势和深圳的科创资源，公司研发的人工智能产品迅速推向市场。同样，高铁也是香港老人选择到内地城市养老时考虑的关键因素。据香港特区立法会去年数据显示，已有近10万名65岁及以上香港老人选择在广东定居。73岁的李奶奶就是其中一员，她已在深圳光明区的养老机构居住一年半，“当初选择来内地城市养老，就是看重了高铁的便利和居住环境，周末女儿可以来看我，我也可以随时回香港见老友。”

数据印证着这种融合：2025年，广深港高铁累计运送跨境旅客3579.4万人次，增长17.8%；2026年1月1日至2月28日，广深港高铁累计运送跨境旅客突破550万人次。

在广深港高铁的串联下，大湾区的故事每天都在上演，让湾区城市相拥更紧、发展更相融。

文、视频｜记者 宋王群 通讯员 胡福祥
翻译 | 郑书悦
审校 | 曾敏