Link to HK airport among new design plans for Guangzhou district of Nansha
Urban designs for Nansha district show rail line to connect air travellers with Hong Kong
Guangzhou has rolled out detailed urban design plans for its Nansha district, with a light-rail line to connect the district to Hong Kong's airport.
The plan includes a subway system, with seven lines and 34 stations linking Nansha to airports in Shenzhen, Guangzhou and Hong Kong and Guangzhou South railway station.
A planning expert at Nansha's district government said it was proposed that light-rail lines linking Zhongshan and Nansha to Dongguan , Guangzhou, Xintang and Dongguan to Qianhai in Shenzhen and Qianhai to Hong Kong International Airport would run at 200km/h and be completed by 2020.
Dr Hung Wing-tat, a transport expert at Hong Kong Polytechnic University, said the release of the Nansha plan would drive up property prices in the district and attract business investment, but it would also benefit Hong Kong.
"Nansha's regional transport network will serve as a fast tube, drawing passengers to international routes flying out of Hong Kong," Hung said.
He said Hong Kong offered a lot more routes for international flights at better times and that was an "advantage that was very hard for mainland airports to compete with".