By 2020 Shenzhen’s Metro system will be directly linked to both Dongguan and Huizhou, futher increasing the ease of travel between the cities of the Pearl River Delta after the first phase of the high-speed railway was introduced in 2011.

Leaders of the three cities signed the pact last week that means Shenzhen Metro lines 6 and 11 will connect with the R1 and R3 lines respectively in Dongguan while the existing Longgang Line, and future Line 12, will be extended to Huizhou, Shenzhen Daily reports.

The paper has more:

According to the memorandum for rail project cooperation, Metro Line 11 will provide an express link between Futian CBD and the Shenzhen airport, while Line 6 will link the airport with Longhua and Guangming new areas and will be extended to link up with Dongguan’s rail system. The Longgang Line will be extended to the Pingdi and Kengzi areas, under future plans that also include the link with Huizhou. The projects are expected to further facilitate the integration of the three cities.

The Special Zone Daily reported yesterday that since the new lines were added ahead of the 2011 Universiade, the number of people using the metro in Shenzhen has quadrupled. It looks like the local government is banking on its continued growth.

In other travel news, United Airlines joined other airlines in opening a check-in counter at Shekou ferry terminal on Thursday (Aug 8), according to Shenzhen Daily.

The other 12 airlines with check-in counters at the Shekou terminal are: Turkish Airlines, Hong Kong Express Airways, Hong Kong Airlines, Cathay Pacific Airlines, China Airlines, Dragon Air, Japan Airlines, Mandarin Airlines, Singapore Airlines, Garuda Indonesia, All Nippon Airways and EVA Air.

For those unfamiliar, the check-in process at Shekou Ferry Terminal allows people with confirmed flights departing from Hong Kong to check in and receive their boarding passes at the ferry terminal.  The ferry will then take them direct to Hong Kong Airport, skipping Hong Kong entry and exit immigration formalities.