"Fast trains, integrated hubs point to future of transport in HK, mainland" from South China Morning Post

"Along the journey, most of the landscape was urban with many buildings or factories. In the sparse rural areas, pockets of construction activity were visible. This suggests that in coming years, the corridor between Shanghai and Hangzhou will become a common urban zone merging both cities into one huge megacity in the Yangtze River Delta."

"It also seemed to me that what was on view in Shanghai was a foretaste of what we might expect when Hong Kong's high-speed railway begins operating in 2016.

A high-speed train journey from Hong Kong to Guangzhou will then be similar to an MTR train ride from Hong Kong Island to Kowloon.

This will increase the integration between Hong Kong and the Pearl River Delta. However, Shanghai has six-year headstart over Hong Kong in this integration process."