Hong Kong transport chief vows to speed up talks with mainland Chinese authorities on extending operating hours at border checkpoints to prevent post-event chaos
- Secretary for Transport and Logistics Lam Sai-hung says city’s railway system can be leveraged to help get visitors where they need to go
- Authorities have pledged to come up with measures to avoid repeat of transport chaos on New Year’s Day that left thousands stranded
Hong Kong’s transport minister has pledged to speed up talks with mainland Chinese authorities about a proposal to extend the operating hours of cross-border land checkpoints connected by railway services after major events to prevent a repeat of the transit chaos on New Year’s Day.
Secretary for Transport and Logistics Lam Sai-hung on Wednesday said the city’s railway system could be leveraged to help get visitors where they needed to go.
“While a bus only offers 50 seats, a nine-car train can handle up to 1,000 passengers,” he told a radio programme. “Other land border checkpoints can help disperse the passengers … we will explore these proposals as well, but it is also important to focus on those checkpoints at railway stations.”
The minister expressed confidence in the ability of the MTR Corporation, the city’s rail operator, to provide overnight services after large-scale events, saying they only happened occasionally.
The MTR Corp told the Post it was committed to facilitating cross-border passenger travel and maintained close communication with government bureaus and stakeholders.
“We will actively cooperate with the relevant policy decisions,” it said.