Conceptual designs are now being solicited in a worldwide competition for Zhuhai Central (Hezhou) Railway Station and a 51-sq-km (20-sq-mile) tract in the geographic center of the city. 

Envisioned as a Pearl River Estuary west bank hub to further modernize and internationalize Zhuhai, Hezhou Station will provide fast connections for travelers from Macao and Zhuhai to reach Central or North China, the Chengdu-Chongqing region, Yangtze River Delta, and Beibu Gulf. The city government calls this area "the strategic fulcrum of Zhuhai's urban space" and "an important link to promote the balanced development of Zhuhai's city from east to west."

The transport hub and region occupy Hezhou Island in the Modaomen Waterway just east of Hongqi and Jing'an towns and west of Tanzhou Town in Zhongshan, down to where the Jiangmen-Zhuhai Expressway meets Zhuhai Avenue. It is situated north-south between the Zhuhai Bridge and Baijiao Town. Nearby to the southeast is the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone on Hengqin Island.

Project location [Photo courtesy WeChat account: zhuhaifabu]

Ten platforms and 22 tracks are planned for the hub station. There will be five platforms and 11 tracks for the Zhuhai-Zhaoqing High-Speed Railway (on which construction is about to begin) with space for a high-speed railway to Zhanjiang, three platforms and seven tracks for the Guangzhou-Zhuhai (Macao) High-Speed Railway (construction starts next year), and two platforms and four tracks for the Guangzhou-Foshan-Jiangmen-Zhuhai Intercity MRT.

The ultimate design must feature Zhuhai styles and adhere to international standards. It should address the location, functions, scale, comprehensive transportation, overall facilities, characteristics, and phased construction of the urban layout, coordinated industrial development, and transport connections, according to the bidding invitation.

The detailed urban design of the hub core area of up to 3 sq km (1 sq mile) is required in terms of architectural layout, spatial integration, and design guidelines. A design of the 10-to-20-sq-km (4-to-8-sq-mile) adjacent urban area is to include construction scale, spatial forms, transport networks, and land use. 

Straight-line distances between Hezhou Station and Shenzhen, Hong Kong, and Guangzhou are within 100 km (62 miles).