When Guangzhou-Hong Kong through trains resumed service after a 30-year gap
- The direct service between Canton and Kowloon was halted first during the Sino-Japanese war and later after the communist takeover of China
- The through-train service restarted in 1979, making Hong Kong the ‘main gateway for foreign tourists to China’
“All aboard for Canton – after 30 years’ break”, read a headline in the South China Morning Post on December 27, 1978.
“Through train services between Hongkong and Canton, which have been disrupted for 30 years, are likely to resume early in the new year,” the story continued.
The service was first introduced in 1911 but was disrupted during the Sino-Japanese war (1937-45). With the conclusion of the war, normal services resumed only to again be disrupted and then suspended altogether when the Communists assumed power in China in 1949, with passengers required to change trains at the border and walk the 275 metres (300 yards) between the Lo Wu and Shum Chun (now Shenzhen) terminals.
“With China’s decision to open up many cities, places of scenic beauty and historical or revolutionary interest, the resumption of through train services linking the two cities becomes almost ‘inevitable’. After all, Hongkong will be a main gateway for foreign tourists to China,” said the 1978 report.
On March 16, 1979, a hand-painted, pale yellow train with thick green bands along its midsection completed a trial run of the 181km (112-mile) route in two hours and 58 minutes.