Guangdong passes first law to integrate rail systems across GBA cities

Guangdong province has approved China’s first law dedicated to regional rail and metro integration, a milestone in the effort to physically and administratively connect the nine mainland cities of the Greater Bay Area (GBA) with Hong Kong and Macau.

The “Guangdong Province Ordinance on Promoting the Development of Rail Transit in the Nine GBA Mainland Cities” 《广东省促进粤港澳大湾区内地九市轨道交通发展条例》 was passed last week, and will take effect January 1, 2026, according to Southcn.com and the Ministry of Transport (mot.gov.cn). The regulation sets a unified legal framework for planning, construction, and operation of rail systems across Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Foshan, Dongguan, Huizhou, Zhuhai, Zhongshan, Jiangmen, and Zhaoqing – the nine cities that, together with Hong Kong and Macau, form the GBA.

Officials described the ordinance as a “soft connection” that complements the “hard infrastructure” already under construction, allowing smoother coordination between municipal governments and state-owned operators. The law promotes “four-network integration” – linking mainline railways, intercity rail, suburban routes, and urban metros – to achieve shared ticketing, synchronized schedules, and through services across city boundaries, the Ministry of Transport notes.

A key goal is to enable passengers to travel from one city’s metro line directly to another’s without changing systems or buying separate tickets. Analysts say this would bring the GBA closer to operating as a single metropolitan cluster, reducing travel time and improving labor mobility across the Pearl River Delta.

The timing of the new law coincides with major infrastructure milestones across the region. The Guangzhou Metro Line 28, also known as the Foshan–Guangzhou–Dongguan intercity link, is moving into its early construction phase, according to Chinese-language reports on Wikipedia (zh). The 71.6-kilometer line will connect western and eastern GBA corridors through 17 stations, easing congestion between three of the region’s most dynamic cities.

Other high-profile projects include the completion of the Greater Bay Area Cultural and Sports Center in Nansha and the opening of the Shishan Tunnel in Jiangmen, part of the Huangmao Bay cross-sea corridor. Both projects, reported by Wikipedia (zh), are designed to strengthen urban connectivity and reduce travel times across the GBA’s coastal axis.

Observers note that Guangdong’s new transit ordinance could serve as a model for other Chinese megaregions seeking to integrate fragmented urban networks under multiple jurisdictions. If implemented successfully, it would mark a significant step toward realizing Beijing’s long-term vision of the GBA as a “one-hour living circle” – where residents can live, work, and travel freely within a unified, world-class metropolitan area. By Times Reporter