Guangzhou Railway Station Enters the High-Speed Railway Era

After More Than a Century

　　At 10:29 a.m. on January 25, as Train K303 slowly departed the platform, Guangzhou Railway Station, with a history of 115 years, marked a new milestone—the operation of normal-speed trains originating and terminating at the station officially concluded, and the station fully entered the high-speed railway era. From 00:00 on January 26, the national railway network implemented a new train timetable, enabling Guangzhou, a major transportation hub in southern China, to realize the model of “high-speed railway services entering the city and normal-speed services relocating outward.”

　　“This represents a leap in station functions and service quality. The number of EMU trains operated daily will reach 208, with the service network extending to north China, northwest China and southwest China,” said Huang Xiaozhong, Deputy Station Master of Guangzhou Railway Station. He added that the next step will be to achieve 15-minute connectivity between Guangzhou Railway Station and Guangzhounan Railway Station, jointly supporting the “two wings” of high-speed railway services in eastern and western Guangdong and injecting strong momentum into the one-hour living circle of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

　　From the “slow pace” of normal-speed railways to the “acceleration” of high-speed railway services, the transformation of Guangzhou Railway Station reflects not only the rapid development of China’s railways but also broader social change. From the migrant worker surge of the 1980s, summed up by the saying “east, west, south, north and center—go to Guangdong to make a fortune,” to peak Spring Festival travel seasons with daily passenger volumes exceeding 230,000, the green train carriages at Guangzhou Railway Station have carried the homesickness and dreams of countless travelers.