Ticketless technology could get sluggish sales on the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link back on track, says MTR Corp operations director
- Adi Lau says technology is hoped to be in place in two to three years
- Average daily patronage of rail link is 50,000, about 38 per cent below government’s estimate of 80,100
Ticketless technology could ride to the rescue of sluggish sales on Hong Kong’s high-speed cross-border rail link, according to the MTR Corporation’s operations director.
In an exclusive interview with the Post, Adi Lau Tin-shing revealed that a system allowing commuters who buy express rail tickets online to tap out on card readers at the West Kowloon terminus was hoped to be in place within two to three years.
The latest figures show that between September 23, when the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link opened, and November 29, about 3.4 million travellers used the much-hyped line. Average daily patronage was 50,000, about 38 per cent below the government’s estimate of 80,100.
The railway, which was more than a decade in the making and cost the city HK$84.4 billion (US$10.8 billion), is at risk of missing its profit target for the year of HK$199 million before tax and interest and its estimated revenue of HK$671 million.
Critics have poured cold water on a government prediction the link would be profitable from day one. The 26km Hong Kong stretch of the line connects with another section in mainland China linking the city to 44 destinations across the country.