Shenzhenzhu Corridor Repositioned at Top Priority: Incorporated into National-Level Coordination, 30-Minute Restructuring of the "Golden Inner Bay"

Southern Finance Reporter Peng Minjing, Zhuhai Report

On Lingdingyang, bridges and tunnels crisscross, and every land-based cross-river passage is a key step in connecting the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, as well as an important opportunity to reshape the regional economic landscape.

The opening of the Shenzhen-Zhongshan Corridor in 2024 quickly became a popular and vital transportation artery, linking the east and west banks of the Pearl River Estuary. As of December 31, 2025, the total vehicle flow through the Shenzhen-Zhongshan Corridor exceeded 48.85 million vehicles, with an average of 89,000 vehicles per day. The corridor accounts for about 24% of the average daily cross-river traffic in the Pearl River Estuary during the same period, with a continuous upward trend: in the second half of 2024, the daily average was 82,000 vehicles, rising to 92,400 in 2025, a year-on-year increase of 12.7%.

This has also raised high expectations from the market and the public for the Shenzhen-Zhuhai Corridor project.

Looking back to 1980, Shenzhen and Zhuhai were simultaneously designated as China’s earliest special economic zones. Over the past forty years, these “twin stars” on the Pearl River Estuary have shone on opposite sides of Lingdingyang, each developing their own unique paths, yet they have always lacked a direct cross-sea “handshake.”

Recently, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) officially responded to a suggestion submitted during the 2026 National People’s Congress (NPC) by Xie Jian, the head and clerk of the Island Post Office Branch of China Post Group Zhuhai City District Branch, during the NPC and Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) sessions. The suggestion called for accelerating the planning and construction of the Shenzhen-Zhuhai Corridor. The NDRC clarified that relevant suggestions will be coordinated with related departments and studied comprehensively when drafting special plans for the 14th Five-Year Plan in areas such as comprehensive transportation and railway development.

Accelerating the Shenzhen-Zhuhai Corridor

During the 2026 NPC and CPPCC sessions, Xie Jian submitted a proposal urging the national level to coordinate efforts to accelerate the planning and construction of the corridor, easing cross-river traffic pressure in the Pearl River Estuary and opening up a key artery for regional linkage.

The proposal addresses the practical pain points of cross-river transportation in the Pearl River Estuary and reflects the urgent need for high-quality development in the Bay Area.

Through research, Xie Jian found that the current capacity of cross-river channels in the Pearl River Estuary is nearing its limit. The Shenzhen-Zhongshan Corridor, which opened in 2024, is already saturated upon opening. Meanwhile, there is still a gap in high-speed rail connectivity between the east and west banks of the estuary; high-speed trains between Shenzhen and Zhuhai must detour through Guangzhou. The four major cities—Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Zhuhai, and Macao—lack direct high-speed rail links, which is a significant gap from the goal of building a “rail-based Greater Bay Area.”

The Shenzhen-Zhuhai Corridor, also known as the Lingdingyang Passage, is the first cross-sea rail and road dual-use corridor planned for the Greater Bay Area. It runs from Qianhai in Shenzhen to the High-tech Zone in Zhuhai, designed as a combined rail and road corridor with high-speed, high-speed rail, and intercity railway functions. Once completed, it will enable a 30-minute direct connection between Shenzhen and Zhuhai. Currently, the project’s preliminary work has accelerated, but the high-speed railway function has not yet been incorporated into the national railway plan, which remains a core obstacle to progress.

The NDRC stated in its reply that Xie Jian’s suggestion is of great reference value for revising and improving the draft outline of the 14th Five-Year Plan. The NDRC attaches great importance and has conducted thorough research. This clear response from relevant national departments has effectively “pressed the accelerator” for the project’s subsequent development.

In fact, local authorities have long been preparing for the implementation of the corridor, demonstrating a strong sense of urgency.

Previously, Guangdong’s 14th Five-Year Plan proposal explicitly supported advancing the Shenzhen-Zhuhai Corridor. Shenzhen and Zhuhai have already initiated planning for the connecting lines on both sides of the corridor and reserved space accordingly.

A review of the timeline shows that Guangdong’s planning for the corridor has a long history. The revised “Intercity Rail Transit Plan for the Pearl River Delta” in 2010 already included the Shenzhen-Zhuhai intercity railway.

Today, multiple cross-river and cross-sea links such as the Shenzhen-Zhongshan Corridor, Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, Nansha Bridge, and Humen Bridge are continuously “sewing” the east and west banks of the Pearl River Estuary, accelerating the efficient allocation of resources.

Xie Jian believes that the project is crucial for promoting infrastructure connectivity within the Greater Bay Area, fostering economic integration among the cities, creating a half-hour living and economic circle, enhancing Shenzhen’s role as a metropolitan hub for the western Pearl River, Zhaoqing, and Maoming, and supporting the coordinated development of the western land-sea new corridor. It is a key project to deepen collaboration in the Bay Area and serve national strategies.

The “Golden Inner Bay” 1-Hour Economic Circle

Looking back at the layout of cross-river transportation in the Greater Bay Area, the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge was the first to connect Zhuhai with Hong Kong and Macao, solidifying the infrastructure foundation for regional integration. The Shenzhen-Zhongshan Corridor then broke down transportation barriers between Zhongshan, Jiangmen, and other western cities, expanding their development radius into the core economic zone on the eastern side.

In the overall layout of cross-river channels in the Greater Bay Area, the Shenzhen-Zhuhai Corridor holds strategic significance, filling a critical gap between the Shenzhen-Zhongshan Corridor and the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge. Once completed, it will reshape the transportation pattern across the east and west banks of the Bay, promoting the realization of the “Golden Inner Bay 1-Hour Economic Circle.”

“To some extent, the Shenzhen-Zhuhai Corridor is even more significant than the Shenzhen-Zhongshan Corridor,” said Song Ding, senior researcher at the China Development Institute (CDI). He explained that Shenzhen’s western cities Zhuhai and Macao are central to the western metropolitan circle, making their strategic position crucial. Moreover, as a dual-use rail and road corridor, the impact of the Shenzhen-Zhuhai Passage will be far-reaching. Once operational, it will significantly enhance trade, scientific research, and cultural exchanges across the estuary, injecting new vitality into the collaborative development of the Greater Bay Area.

Transportation connectivity essentially involves the flow of elements, and this efficient flow is key to solving the imbalance in development on both sides of the Pearl River Estuary.

For the Greater Bay Area, currently in a critical period of shifting from old to new growth drivers, the massive infrastructure investment in the Shenzhen-Zhuhai Corridor will bring not only shorter travel times but also tangible economic growth.

The Development Center of the Science and Technology Research Institute of the Ministry of Transport estimates that a 1 trillion yuan investment in roads could directly boost GDP by 0.8 to 0.9 trillion yuan and indirectly by 2 to 2.5 trillion yuan.

From the perspective of regional resource endowment, the east and west banks of the Pearl River Estuary are highly complementary but have long been hindered by transportation barriers, preventing efficient cooperation.

On the east bank, Shenzhen boasts financial platforms, high-speed rail hubs, abundant technological innovation resources, and high-end industrial clusters, making it a national hub for technological innovation and industrial development. However, it faces severe land resource shortages, limited industrial capacity, and high costs, which hinder the transformation and outward transfer of high-quality industries and technological achievements.

On the west bank, Zhuhai has excellent innovation carriers, ample land reserves, and a favorable ecological environment, along with a strategic advantage of proximity to Macao. It has the capacity for industrial development and achievement transformation but has long lacked channels for high-end industry radiation and attracting top talent, limiting its development potential.

In terms of economic radiance, connecting Shenzhen’s technological innovation resources with the manufacturing base on the western bank of the estuary will form an industrial collaboration model of “Shenzhen R&D + Zhuhai Manufacturing,” accelerating the transformation of technological achievements and integration of industrial chains, and speeding up the formation of the “1-hour economic circle” in the Golden Inner Bay.

Recently, the Guangdong Provincial Public Resources Trading Platform issued a “Tender Announcement for the Feasibility Study of Zhuhai Railway Hub Overall Plan.” The project will consider current industry management trends and adjustments such as the location of the Guangzhou-Zhuhai (Macao) High-Speed Rail Hengqin Station, and will coordinate the study of existing lines like the Guang-Zhu (Ao) Intercity Rail, Zhuhai-Zhaoquing High-Speed Rail, and planned lines such as the Guangzhou-Zhuhai (Macao) High-Speed Rail and Shenzhen-Zhuhai High-Speed Rail. Different plan options for Zhuhai Railway Hub will be evaluated and optimized based on research results, integrating resources like the Hezhou and Hengqin high-speed rail hubs to achieve coordinated development of rail and urban transportation.

The “2026 Zhuhai Municipal Government Work Report” emphasizes deep participation in the “Golden Inner Bay” construction, promoting in-depth interaction between the Zhuhai-West and Guangzhou-Shenzhen metropolitan circles, and fostering integration of the east and west banks of the Pearl River Estuary. It also calls for increased efforts to advance the preliminary work of the Shenzhen-Zhuhai Corridor and to include the Shenzhen-Zhuhai-Macao High-Speed Rail project into national planning.

Leveraging the Shenzhen-Zhongshan Corridor, Shenzhen-Zhuhai Corridor, and Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, the flow of talent, industry, and capital across both sides of the Pearl River Estuary will become more efficient.