Beginning January 5, 2025, Xintang Railway Station in Zengcheng District of Guangzhou will become a stop on the direct high-speed train service between Guangzhou and Hong Kong, according to a schedule released recently.                            

Per the schedule, 2 trains will leave from Xintang for Hong Kong West Kowloon at 9:19 and 17:59 respectively. Two more trains heading in the opposite direction will leave Kowloon at 8:06 and 19:46. All together, they will operat 4 trains daily. Their itinerary has each one expected to take about 1.5 hours and to make 3 to 5 stops in between. Among the stops mentioned are Shenzhen North Railway Station, Futian Railway Station, and Dongguan South Railway Station.                               

As a young developing district of Guangzhou, Zengcheng has seen an explosion in travel demand. The initial direct railway line between Zengcheng and Hong Kong will collapse the current 2.5-hour travel time down to a mere 1.5 hours. More than that, it will claw Zengcheng into the 90-minute commuting circle of Hong Kong.