The Pearl River Delta Metropolitan Region Intercity Railway System (, abbreviated as PRDIR) is a regional higher-speed rail and

suburban rail Commuter rail, or suburban rail, is a passenger rail transport service that primarily operates within a metropolitan area, connecting commuters to a central city from adjacent suburbs or commuter towns. Generally commuter rail systems are con ...

network being gradually constructed in the

Pearl River Delta The Pearl River Delta Metropolitan Region (PRD; ; pt, Delta do Rio das Pérolas (DRP)) is the low-lying area surrounding the Pearl River estuary, where the Pearl River flows into the South China Sea. Referred to as the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Mac ...

( Yuegang'ao Greater Bay Area), People's Republic of China. The project's goal is to have every major urban center in the Yuegang'ao Greater Bay Area to be within one-hour travel by rail to

Guangzhou Guangzhou (, ; ; or ; ), also known as Canton () and alternatively romanized as Kwongchow or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of Guangdong province in southern China. Located on the Pearl River about north-northwest of Hong Kon ...

. On March 16, 2005, the

State Council State Council may refer to: Government * State Council of the Republic of Korea, the national cabinet of South Korea, headed by the President * State Council of the People's Republic of China, the national cabinet and chief administrative auth ...

approved plans for a regional high-speed commuter rail network for the Jingjinji,

Yangtze River Delta The Yangtze Delta or Yangtze River Delta (YRD, or simply ) is a triangle-shaped megalopolis generally comprising the Wu Chinese-speaking areas of Shanghai, southern Jiangsu and northern Zhejiang. The area lies in the heart of the Jiangnan reg ...

and the Pearl River Delta. According to the plan, by 2020, the network will have a total route mileage of about . In September 2009, the plan was expanded to of routes split up into 23 lines. In the long term vision network length will reach by 2030. By then the network will provide basic coverage to the Pearl River Delta region. The Suishen ICR, Guanhui ICR and Guangfozhao ICR accept Alipay, avoiding the need to purchase tickets in advance.

Operational lines

The system currently has seven lines.

Guangzhu ICR

The Guangzhou–Zhuhai Intercity Railway or Guangzhu Intercity Railway is a 116 km dedicated, grade-separated passenger railway linking New Guangzhou Station in Panyu, Guangzhou, and Zhuhai Airport in Zhuhai, via Shunde, Zhongshan and Jiangmen. Operation began in 2011.

Guanhui ICR

The Guanhui Intercity Railway or Guanhui Urban Railway is a 14 station, 100 km long, regional rapid railway line that connects

Dongguan Dongguan (; ) is a prefecture-level city in central Guangdong Province, China. An important industrial city in the Pearl River Delta, Dongguan borders the provincial capital of Guangzhou to the north, Huizhou to the northeast, Shenzhen to the s ...

to Huizhou. The line was originally planned to use subway type cars with Siemens technology. However it was plans changed partway through construction to use 8 car CRH6 EMUs capable of running up to . The line started construction in 2009 and was expected to open in late 2013. Construction was completed in June 2013 and test runs began in 2014, but the first segment of the line, from Xiaojinkou-Changping East did not open until 30 March 2016.

Guangfozhao ICR

The Guangfozhao Intercity Railway or Fozhao Urban Railway is an 11 station long regional rapid railway line. It connects Guangzhou to

Zhaoqing Zhaoqing (), alternately romanized as Shiuhing, is a prefecture-level city in Guangdong Province, China. As of the 2020 census, its population was 4,113,594, with 1,553,109 living in the built-up (or metro) area made of Duanzhou, Dinghu a ...

, via

Foshan Foshan (, ), alternately romanized as Fatshan, is a prefecture-level city in central Guangdong Province, China. The entire prefecture covers and had a population of 9,498,863 as of the 2020 census. The city is part of the western side of the ...

. Operation began on 30 March 2016.

Suishen ICR

The Guangzhou–Shenzhen Intercity Railway, also known as the Suishen Intercity Railway () is a regional rapid railway line that runs roughly along the east bank of the Pearl River connecting the major cities of

, and

Shenzhen Shenzhen (; ; ; ), also historically known as Sham Chun, is a major sub-provincial city and one of the special economic zones of China. The city is located on the east bank of the Pearl River estuary on the central coast of southern province ...

. It will use CRH6 EMUs with a top speed of . Operation began on 15 December 2019.

Zhuji ICR

The Zhuji Intercity Railway is a high-speed railway connecting

Gongbei Subdistrict Gongbei Subdistrict () is a Townships of the People's Republic of China, township-level division situated in Xiangzhou District, Zhuhai, Xiangzhou District, Zhuhai, Guangdong, China. Education QSI International School of Zhuhai previously was ...

in Zhuhai with

Zhuhai Jinwan Airport Zhuhai Jinwan Airport , also called Zhuhai Sanzao Airport () before January 10, 2013, is the airport serving the city of Zhuhai in Guangdong province, China. It is located some (road distance) southwest of the Zhuhai city center in Sanzao Town ...

via

Hengqin Hengqin (, pt, Ilha da Montanha) is an island in Zhuhai, a prefecture-level city and Special economic zones of China, special economic zone in Guangdong, Guangdong Province of the China, People's Republic of China. It has a population of about ...

. Phase 1 started operation on 18 August 2020. Phase 2 from to Zhuhai Airport will open in 2023.

Guangqing ICR

Guangzhou East Ring intercity railway

Lines under construction

Foguan ICR

Foshan–Dongguan Intercity Railway, also called the Foguan Intercity Railway, is a planned high-speed railway within

Guangdong Guangdong (, ), alternatively romanized as Canton or Kwangtung, is a coastal province in South China on the north shore of the South China Sea. The capital of the province is Guangzhou. With a population of 126.01 million (as of 2020) ...

province,

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

between the cities of

, via

, to

. It will connect Panyu District,

at the major Guangzhou South interchange, tunnelling under the Pearl River through Machong and Hongmei to providing connections via the Dongguan Rail Transit, the

Guangzhou–Shenzhen intercity railway Guangzhou–Shenzhen intercity railway or Suishen intercity railway () is a Commuter rail, commuter railway in the Pearl River Delta of Guangdong, China. The construction route traces roughly along the east bank of the Pearl River (China), Pearl ...

or the Dongguan–Huizhou intercity railway. The length of this railway is .

Guangfo Circular ICR

Ring service around

, mostly making use of trackage from other Metropolitan Region Intercity Railway Lines and existing freight railways. A new section under construction, known as the Guangfo Link, is a 35 km long railway line that connects Guangzhou South Railway Station to

Foshan West Railway Station Foshan West railway station is a major railway station located in Nanhai District, Foshan, Guangdong Guangdong (, ), alternatively romanized as Canton or Kwangtung, is a coastal province in South China on the north shore of the South C ...

. It has a top speed of and will use 6 car CRH6 EMUs capable of running up to 2.5-minute frequencies. It is expected to start construction in late 2012 and completed in 2016 or 2017.

Guangqing ICR

The Guangqing Intercity Railway is a high-speed railway connecting Guangzhou with Qingyuan.

Approved Lines

In 2020, with the near completion of the initial batch of lines, the National Development and Reform Commission approved an additional 775 km of intercity railway projects. A number of them will start construction before 2022.

Shenzhen–Dayawan ICR

A planned underground

regional rail Regional rail, also known as local trains and stopping trains, are passenger rail services that operate between towns and cities. These trains operate with more stops over shorter distances than inter-city rail, but fewer stops and faster serv ...

way connecting

and

Huiyang District Huiyang District ( postal: Waiyeung; is a district of Huizhou, Guangdong province, People's Republic of China. It was renamed in 2003 amid the restructuring of districts and counties in Huizhou. Formerly named Huiyang city (county level), its si ...

in southern Huizhou from

Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport (formerly Shenzhen Huangtian Airport) is the airport serving Shenzhen, Guangdong Province. It is located on the east bank of the Pearl River near Huangtian and Fuyong villages in Bao'an District, and is n ...

Shenzhen Pingshan railway station Shenzhen Pingshan railway station () is a high-speed railway station on the Xiamen-Shenzhen Railway.The station is located in the Pingshan District of Shenzhen City, Guangdong Province, China. The station opened to the public on 28 December 20 ...

Shenhui ICR

A planned underground

way connecting

and

Huicheng District Huicheng District () is a district of Huizhou City, Guangdong Province, China. Huicheng is the northern urban center of Huizhou along with Huiyang as the southern urban center. Administrative divisions Huicheng is responsible for the administrat ...

in northern Huizhou.

Notes

References

{{Rapid transit in the People's Republic of China Pearl River Delta Rapid transit in China Transport in Guangdong

Operational lines

Guangzhu ICR

Guanhui ICR

Guangfozhao ICR

Suishen ICR

Zhuji ICR

Guangqing ICR

Guangzhou East Ring intercity railway

Lines under construction

Foguan ICR

Guangfo Circular ICR

Guangqing ICR

Approved Lines

Shenzhen–Dayawan ICR

Shenhui ICR

See also

Notes

References