Hong Kong high-speed rail to mainland ‘will be profitable’ from September 23 start date, carrying 80,000 passengers a day

Hong Kong’s transport authorities have announced that the long-delayed and over-budget high-speed train service will directly connect the city with 44 destinations in mainland China, and promised it will be profitable from the day it starts on September 23.

“We are pretty confident that the high-speed rail will not be incurring any loss in the future,” Secretary for Transport and Housing Frank Chan Fan said, basing his claim on the latest projection of daily passenger flow and “competitive” ticket pricing.

The MTR Corp will pocket 45 to 95 per cent of ticket fares to six short-distance stops in Shenzhen and Guangzhou – which will cost between HK$78 and HK$247 – with the rest going to the China Railway Corporation.

For journeys to destinations further into the mainland, such as Beijing and Shanghai, ticket prices will range from HK$216 to HK$1,239.

The government expects the express rail to earn HK$671 million within this year, while operating costs are estimated at HK$472 million.