Bespoke Chaoshan tours for visitors from Singapore & Malaysia
简体繁體EN
ChaoshanTravel.
Latest Progress on East Guangdong Intercity Railway: How to Achieve 30-Minute "Subway-style" Travel Between the Three Chaoshan Cities in the Future
Chaoshan News

Latest Progress on East Guangdong Intercity Railway: How to Achieve 30-Minute "Subway-style" Travel Between the Three Chaoshan Cities in the Future

2026-05-14 Chaoshan Local Expert

💡 Current Travel Transition Tips

As of mid-2026, the East Guangdong Intercity Railway is still in intensive construction and has not yet officially opened for operation. Currently, Singapore and Malaysian tourists traveling between Shantou, Chaozhou, and Jieyang Airport mainly rely on ride-hailing, airport buses, or traditional high-speed rail lines. To ensure a smooth trip at this stage, we recommend booking our Chaoshan cross-city private car transfer service before departure to save the hassle of dragging luggage.

#East Guangdong Intercity#Chaoshan Transportation#2026 Infrastructure#Cross-city Transportation

"The East Guangdong Intercity Railway is not only a multi-billion infrastructure miracle but also a true fusion of the three cities of Shantou, Chaozhou, and Jieyang in both physical and cultural terms. In the future, overseas travelers returning to their roots or sightseeing will no longer have the trouble of 'difficult transfers,' only the ease of 'scan and ride.'"

Want to eat Shantou beef hotpot, stroll through Chaozhou Paifang Street, and finally fly back to Malaysia or Singapore from Jieyang Airport all in one day? With the "East Guangdong Intercity Railway" entering its full-line sprint construction phase in 2026, this vision is about to become reality! This article provides an exclusive analysis of this "super loop line" that will completely change the tourism landscape of Chaoshan, and how future overseas tourists can use it to achieve seamless "half-hour cross-city roaming."

Key highlights

  • Bus-style operation: Ride the train like the subway, using "small formations, high frequency," no need to buy tickets in advance, arrive and go.
  • One ring, one ray: Perfect closed-loop planning, seamlessly connecting Shantou Station, Chaoshan Station, Jieyang Station, and Jieyang Chaoshan Airport.
  • Half-hour commuting circle: Maximum design speed of 160 km/h, directly compressing the original 1-1.5 hour cross-city drive to 30 minutes.
  • 2026 sprint year: Currently, core projects such as underground tunnel boring and cross-river bridge closures across the line are achieving successive breakthroughs, steadily advancing toward the 2027 opening target.
  • Payment barrier-free: In the future, it will fully integrate WeChat/Alipay (with international credit cards) ride codes, eliminating cumbersome document verification.
For first-time visitors from Singapore and Malaysia to Chaoshan, the most common misconception is: "Shantou, Chaozhou, and Jieyang are all close together, so taking a taxi should be quick, right?"
In fact, although the three cities of Chaoshan share the same roots geographically and culturally, their city centers are not that close (usually 40-60 km apart). Moreover, traditional high-speed rail stations (such as Chaoshan Station) are often built in the suburbs, causing tourists in the past to frequently face the pain points of "taxis too expensive, buses too slow, and high-speed rail transfers troublesome" when traveling between the three cities.
The East Guangdong Intercity Railway, currently under vigorous construction, is the "ultimate weapon" born to completely solve this pain point.
  1. What is the "One Ring, One Ray" of the East Guangdong Intercity?
Unlike traditional cross-province high-speed rail, the East Guangdong Intercity Railway is a custom-designed internal loop line for the Chaoshan metropolitan area.
"One Ring": It links the central urban areas of Shantou, Chaozhou, and Jieyang, as well as the core transportation hubs (Shantou Station, Chaoshan Station, Jieyang Station, Chaoshan Airport) like beads on a string, forming a huge circular rail network.
"One Ray": It extends outward from Chaozhou East Station, covering the surrounding areas. This means that no matter which airport you land at or which city center you stay in, you can enter the intercity rail network by walking or a very short transfer.
  1. "Subway-style" Boarding: A Boon for Overseas Tourists
What tourists look forward to most about this intercity railway is its "bus-style operation" model.
No need to buy tickets in advance: You don't have to scramble for tickets on 12306 days in advance like on regular high-speed rail.
Arrive and go: Trains are extremely frequent (high frequency). In the future, you just need to open Alipay or WeChat linked to Visa/Mastercard, bring up the ride code, and scan the code at the gate to board, just like taking the MRT in Singapore.
City center to city center: The line includes many underground stations (such as "Times Square Station" and "Longhu Affiliated Middle School Station" in downtown Shantou), with exits directly in bustling commercial areas or core scenic spots, completely solving the "last mile" of travel.
  1. Latest 2026 Project Progress
Entering 2026, the East Guangdong Intercity Railway has entered a decisive phase of construction. Multiple key control nodes across the line have achieved major breakthroughs:
High-difficulty water projects such as the low-tower cable-stayed bridge crossing the Rongjiang North River in Jieyang have been successfully closed.
Several deep-foundation-pit underground stations in downtown Shantou (such as Longhu Affiliated Middle School Station) have completed complex retaining structures and diaphragm wall construction, with tunnel boring machines shuttling day and night underground.
At the current pace, the expected full-line opening for operation in 2027 is just around the corner.
  1. Disruptive Impact on Future Itineraries for Singapore and Malaysian Tourists
Once operational, your three-day-two-night Chaoshan itinerary will undergo earth-shaking changes:
Morning: After finishing a pot of Dancong tea in Chaozhou Ancient City, walk to "Chaozhou East Station" to board.
Noon: Arrive at "Times Square Station" in downtown Shantou 30 minutes later, exit and head straight to a top-notch beef hotpot restaurant nearby for a feast.
Afternoon: Take the intercity train, and in just over 20 minutes, go directly from Shantou to Jieyang Chaoshan Airport, smoothly check in and return to Kuala Lumpur.
While looking forward to the official completion of this century project, if you plan to visit your hometown or travel in the near future, be sure to refer to our guide on Guangzhou/Shenzhen to Chaoshan high-speed rail transfer and plan your local chartered car route in advance. The beauty of Chaoshan deserves to be explored in the most comfortable way!

Further reading