GUANGZHOU, Dec. 28 -- Guangdong Province, China's economic powerhouse, handled a record-breaking 600 million passenger trips in 2024, including a surge in trips to and from Hong Kong, according to Guangzhou Railway Group on Saturday.

Passengers made over 27 million trips between Guangdong and Hong Kong via the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong high-speed railway in 2024 as of Saturday, a yearly increase of 37 percent, according to the railway group.

With increasing train routes connecting cities in the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong, more passengers are using this high-speed railway for tourism, business and visiting relatives, among others.

Zhang Zhe, director of the passenger transport department of the railway group, said the huge passenger flow reflects the continuous progress of the construction of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and the vitality of thriving economic development.