Guangzhou South Station in Guangzhou's Panyu district is the largest high-speed rail passenger terminal in the South China area. [Photo/southcn.com]

Guangzhou South Station is expected to be built as the best railway station in the world and to become the center of rail transit in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, according to a detailed plan for the area surrounding the station released in December.

Guangzhou South Station in Guangzhou's Panyu district, enjoying a unique geographic location, serves four high-speed rail lines and the Guangzhou-Zhuhai Intercity MRT. Ten other cities in the Greater Bay Area can be reached from the station within an hour.

Currently the station is the largest high-speed rail passenger terminal in South China. Its passenger throughput reached 174 million from January to November, up 17.03 percent year-on-year. The daily passenger throughput in the same time period amounted to 521,300 and reached 757,700 on Oct 1, which tops in China.

A large-scale comprehensive business service area will be constructed near the station to turn its surroundings into a major platform for further development and cooperation in the Greater Bay Area.

The plan notes that three intercity rails, four city rails and two tram lines will be constructed in areas neighboring Guangzhou South Station.

A promotion fair held by the Panyu district government in Hong Kong in August 2019 led to signing of 16 investment projects. Chinese sauce maker Lee Kum Kee has taken the lead to invest and will construct a 40,000 square meter complex in the business district of Guangzhou South Station.

A person in charge of Lee Kum Kee said that the investment in the area can further improve the operation efficiency and expand the market for the group as the area is the transportation hub in the Greater Bay Area.

The area has also devoted efforts to improving the local business environment for businessmen from Hong Kong and Macao. A modern comprehensive government service center is under construction and will be put into operation in March 2020. It will allow residents of Hong Kong and Macao to handle various affairs spanning taxation and finance, entry and exit, investment approval, talent services, intellectual property rights and business and trade.