In this Dec 20, 2017 photo, passengers wait for the tram themed on Guangzhou Metro Museum in Guangzhou, capital of south China's Guangdong province. (LIANG XU / XINHUA)

HONG KONG – Guangzhou is mulling plans to upgrade its metro system to further integrate the city into the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area transportation network, according to the local Planning and Natural Resources Bureau.

An everyday passenger flow of about 8.29 million makes Guangzhou metro one of the busiest subway networks in China

Guangzhou has developed a new mode of underground transport which makes possible intercity travelling with one single ticket, 20 years after the debut of first commercial metro line in the capital of southern province Guangdong.

Intercity lines will directly connect Guangzhou with Foshan, Dongguan, Zhongshan and Zhuhai cities. The western section of Guangzhou Metro Line 7, for example, will be linked to Foshan Metro Line 2, local authorities said. This will be one of the planned 17 lines between Guangzhou and Foshan.

The urban rail network will operate at a speed of 160 km per hour, according to Ding Jianlong, chairman of Guangzhou Metro Group, who underlined the role of Guangzhou Metro in the improvement of rail transit in the Bay Area.

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Intercity metro lines will be “a big plus” to the Bay Area one-hour commute circle, which is also supported by the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link and Intercity Through Train run by MTR Corporation, said a local official familiar with the construction process.

An everyday passenger flow of about 8.29 million makes Guangzhou metro one of the busiest subway networks in China. Its Line 3 has secured the title of “2018 China’s busiest metro line” with 64,300 passenger trips per hour, according to the latest data from China Association of Metros. 

To optimize services, the Guangzhou Metro Group installed QR code scanners at every entrance and QR code payment system with every ticket vending machine, echoing the country’s flourishing mobile payment and cashless travelling.