A major transport link connecting Shenzhen and Zhongshan will open on Sunday, state media reported.

It's expected to cut the travel time between the two Greater Bay Area cities to 30 minutes from the current two hours.

According to CCTV, the link will open to traffic on 3pm on Sunday.

The 24-kilometre link includes two bridges, two artificial islands and a two-way eight-lane sea tunnel, and took seven years to complete.

It features the Lingdingyang Bridge, described as the world's largest offshore steel box girder suspension bridge, as well as a 6.8km sea tunnel, the world's largest and widest undersea steel shell concrete tube tunnel.

A cross-boundary bus service provider said it will increase the frequency of its service from Hong Kong to Zhongshan by about 50 percent.

The general manager of Shum Kong Wing Lee Cross Border Bus, Freeman Cheung, said the company also plans to introduce an extra route.

Meanwhile, the executive director of the Hong Kong Tourism Association, Timothy Chui, said the agency he owns anticipates the number of tour groups visiting Zhongshan and Shunde will at least double over the summer.

He said the new road will enable travel agencies to come up with new itineraries, including one-day trips to the two places.

A driver surnamed Wang told RTHK that she has been travelling between Shenzhen and Zhongshan via the Hong Kong Zhuhai Macau Bridge, but plans to switch to the new road.

“It’s more convenient and closer. I can probably save half an hour per trip. The toll is also lower,” she said.

But a Shenzhen taxi driver said he thinks the new road won't be of any use to him.

He said he has never taken a passenger from Shenzhen to Zhongshan and this probably won't change just because the travel time is shorter.
_____________________________
Last updated: 2024-06-27 HKT 18:10