Editor's note: The Jiangmen to Zhanjiang section of the Shenzhen-Zhanjiang High-Speed Railway (HSR) came into service on June 28, bringing the southern city of Zhanjiang into the high-speed railway era.

Facts and figures:

Length: 495 kilometers

Speed: 200-250 kilometers per hour

Official opening of the entire railway: estimated for 2024

Status: the first HSR connecting less-developed western Guangdong with the richer Pearl River Delta

Significance to Zhanjiang:

Zhanjiang used to be nine hours away from Shenzhen and eight hours from Guangzhou. Although poised as a provincial sub-center city, Zhanjiang has long been dragged down by its bottlenecked transport.

The access to the Shenzhen-Zhanjiang HSR slashes travel time between Zhanjiang and major cities to

Zhanjiang-Changsha: 6 hours

Zhanjiang-Shenzhen: 3.5 hours

Zhanjiang-Guangzhou: 3 hours

Why it is so important to Guangdong:

• Essential to the completion of the Guangdong railway network

• Brings western Guangdong residents closer to the Pearl River Delta

• Contributes to the coordinated economic development in the region