(Yicai) Aug. 7 -- China's Guangdong province is reportedly considering to build a 120-kilometer maglev rail link between Guangzhou and Shenzhen that would cut the travel time between the two first-tier cities to just 30 minutes.

The southern economic powerhouse plans to design a super high-speed route with a top speed of 650 kilometers per hour, Chen Xiangsheng, a member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, said at a forum on Aug. 5, according to a Guangzhou Daily report.

The new line would make possible 30-minute journeys between Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Hong Kong, and Macao, and travel between any cities within the region would take less than 40 minutes, according to Chen.

Maglev trains are rare globally as they require a high level of investment. Shanghai has the world's first commercial high-speed maglev line with an average speed of 430 kph, whisking passengers between the downtown area and Shanghai Pudong International Airport.

The proposed line has four alternative routes, with some of the possible cities along the link being Wancheng, Humen, and Nansha, Chen said. The preferred route is Guangzhou East Railway Station to Dongguan Guancheng to Shenzhen Xiangmi Lake, he added.

All four options are made with the idea that they should be extended to Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport in the north, and the district of Kowloon in Hong Kong in the south later on, according to Chen.

The line would pass through the most economically developed industrial corridor in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, Chen said. Passenger density in the area was 109.6 million in 2017 and is expected to rise to 260 million in 2035.

Editor: Emmi Laine