Passenger chaos across border marks ‘striking imbalance’ in commuter flows on Hong Kong’s high-speed rail link: Michael Tien
Lawmaker and former rail boss points to many empty seats on train heading out from West Kowloon terminus, but long queues and lack of crowd control on return leg at Futian stop
There is a striking imbalance between inbound and outbound passenger flows on Hong Kong’s newly launched high-speed rail link to mainland China, according to lawmaker and former rail boss Michael Tien Puk-sun.
Tien was among the first to test the rides at the West Kowloon terminus of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link, which opened on Sunday.
“From what I saw this morning, my first impression is that inbound mainland visitors will have a much bigger potential for businesses [at the station] than outbound commuters from Hong Kong,” the former Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation chief said.
Inbound mainland visitors will have a much bigger potential for businesses
He took a 7.13am ride from Hong Kong to Futian, clearing customs checks on both sides at the West Kowloon terminus under a so-called co-location arrangement between local and mainland officials. Tien said he was surprised there were a lot of empty seats.
The train arrived at 7.27am in Futian, according to the lawmaker.
Tien returned to Hong Kong hours later by another means of transport as the West Kowloon terminus was far from his lunch appointment in Lei Yue Mun.
He said his assistant’s experience of returning from across the border, however, was a total nightmare.