One year on: China's Shenzhen-Zhongshan Link deepens Greater Bay Area integration

One year after opening, the Shenzhen-Zhongshan Link, a pioneering cross-sea cluster project, has not only transformed regional transport, but has also become a powerful catalyst for economic integration, cross-city collaboration, and international investment in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA).

Stretching 24 kilometers, the link integrates two bridges, two artificial islands and a two-way eight-lane tunnels with underwater channels. It starts at the Shenzhen airport interchange and connects with Ma'anshan Island in Zhongshan across the Pearl River, cutting travel time between the two cities from two hours to approximately 30 minutes.

Over the past year, the link has accelerated the flow of people, goods, capital and other resources across the region, contributing to deeper regional cooperation and development.

By noon Monday, more than 20,000 vehicles had already crossed the link, pushing this year's total traffic volume past 16 million – marking a clear uptick from the latter half of 2024. Over the past year, the link saw over 31 million vehicles in total, with its daily traffic record broken four times. The latest peak came on May 1, when a record 181,600 vehicles passed through in a single day, according to China Media Group (CMG).

In addition to enhanced physical connectivity, more than 300 cross-city government service items between Shenzhen and Zhongshan have been made available, streamlining administrative procedures for residents and businesses. Meanwhile, Zhongshan has consolidated over 48,000 acres of industrial land, offering enterprises larger and more cost-effective manufacturing bases.

The opening of the Shenzhen-Zhongshan Link has accelerated the integration, Liao Lei, manager of a local electronic equipment company in Shenzhen, told CMG.

"We moved our manufacturing base to Zhongshan while keeping our headquarters in Shenzhen. We are very confident about the future," said Liao.

In 2024, the net inflow of enterprises from Shenzhen to Zhongshan reached 168 companies, more than tripling the previous year's growth.

Zhongshan is currently holding this year's global investment promotion conference. Compared to previous years, the scale of the event this year is larger, with the intended investment amount expected to exceed 100 billion yuan (about $13.94 billion).

"The event attracts over 400 investors and business leaders from more than 20 countries and regions, including the UK, Russia, Germany, and Singapore, with a batch of key projects to be signed," said Zheng Guanting, deputy director of the Zhongshan Investment Promotion Bureau.

Xu Zhijun, marketing director of a local semiconductor company in Nansha District, Guangzhou City, told CMG that the link has greatly improved the rapid communication and coordination between them and their GBA customers.

"The government provides a platform that enables upstream and downstream enterprises to form industrial cluster advantages," said Xu.

Digital upgrades ensuring safe, smooth operation

To ensure safe and efficient travel on the link, multiple intelligent technologies, including big data and artificial intelligence, have been implemented to optimize traffic management.

For instance, if any abnormal behavior occurs, such as vehicles stopping or littering from car windows, an anomaly detection system within the link's smart application system will immediately detect the issue and send an automatic alert. Relevant personnel will be notified to handle the situation on-site.

In the event of an emergency such as a vehicle fire in the underwater tunnel, the system will automatically retrieve a response plan from its database and generate an emergency response. With a single click, over 400 devices, including automatic sprinklers, can be activated simultaneously within seconds, allowing for a rapid, comprehensive response to handle the accident.

Intelligent robots are also used in undersea tunnels for daily inspections.

A digital twin platform has been adopted to monitor the link's dynamic operation from a macro perspective. It provides a 3D digital model of the link, displaying real-time conditions such as vehicle trajectories and speeds. The platform can quickly lock the abnormal area based on the abnormal traffic flow.

Moreover, an integrated smart traffic application system has also been established between the Shenzhen-Zhongshan Link and six surrounding highways, which can guide vehicles along the most optimal routes, enhancing the overall traffic efficiency of the link and the surrounding road network.

Read more: Shenzhen-Zhongshan Link opens to traffic with 10 world records