On February 28, the Guangdong Provincial Development and Reform Commission announced through an official reply that the construction of the Wanqingsha-Xingzhong section of the Nansha-Zhuhai (Zhongshan) Intercity Railway (Nansha-Zhongshan Intercity Railway) was approved. The project now has entered the early preparation stage, including preliminary design and construction bidding.

According to the official reply, the 47.6-kilometer Nansha-Zhongshan Intercity Railway includes a 4.6-kilometer elevated railway section, a 0.15-kilometer subgrade section and a 42.85-kilometer underground section. The designed speed of the new line is 160 kilometers per hour.

At its north end, the line is connected with Wanqingsha Station of Guangzhou Metro Line 18. Westwards, it passes through Guangzhou's Nansha District, as well as Zhongshan's Cuiheng New District, Torch Development Zone, Shiqi District and East District. It was designed with 10 stations, namely Shierchong, Ershichong, Xiangshan, Torch East (reserved), Torch, Zhangjiabian, Zhongshan, Qijiang New Town, Shiqi and Xingzhong. The necessity and feasibility of reserving Shichong and Century Road stations will be further studied.

Eight of the 10 new stations will be in Zhongshan (except Shierchong and Ershichong stations). Yantongshan Parking Lot, Yantongshan and Xiangshan main substations, and the auxiliary facility Xiangshan Station will be constructed with conditions reserved for a future extension from Xiangshan Station to Zhuhai.

The project with an estimated total investment of 30.559 billion yuan will be finished in 5 years.