China Considers High-Speed Maglev Linking Guangzhou and Hong Kong

(Bloomberg) — China is considering a high-speed maglev train line that would link the city of Guangzhou in the south with Hong Kong, the latest in efforts to cultivate closer ties among hubs in the Greater Bay Area.

The line will start at Guangzhou East railway station, connect through the city of Shenzhen and then on to neighboring Hong Kong, according to Nanfang Plus, a Guangdong provincial government-backed media outlet, in a report late Thursday.

The train will run at speeds as high as 600 kilometers per hour (373 miles per hour) and cut travel time between Guangzhou and Hong Kong to less than 20 minutes from about 1 hour now. Magnetic levitation, or maglev, trains use powerful magnets to glide along charged tracks at super fast speeds made possible by the lack of friction.

China unveiled a blueprint in early 2019 to create the Greater Bay Area, a high-tech megalopolis linking its southern coastal cities with Hong Kong and Macau, following a policy that President Xi Jinping first articulated in 2017.

Asia’s biggest economy has so far unveiled favorable tax incentives to lure overseas talent to the region, stepped up infrastructure construction and announced measures to cater to the financial needs of residents within the area.

The maglev train plan was also outlined earlier this month in a spatial plan by the provincial government for the next 15 years through 2035, though it provided few details.

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