Cross-Harbour Tunnel in Hong Kong reopens with long queues for buses after rampage by radical protesters closed link for two weeks
- Vital transport link between Kowloon and Hong Kong Island closed after firebomb attacks from hard-core protesters
- Rush hour delays for some bus users, but commuters relieved the route is back in service
Commuters faced long queues at a major bus interchange in Hong Kong when the Cross-Harbour Tunnel finally reopened after damage caused by radical protesters forced its two-week closure.
Traffic crossed the key link between Hung Hom and Causeway for the first time in a fortnight from 5am on Wednesday.
Within two hours, bus passengers were enduring lengthy waits at the Hung Hom toll plaza as they tried to board services to Hong Kong Island. Additional staff were on hand to help deal with the crowds.
The tunnel is a vital thoroughfare connecting Kowloon to Hong Kong Island, with about 110,000 private and public vehicles crossing daily.
Despite the delays, a clerk surnamed Chan was happy to be taking the bus again with his eight-year-old son, on their way to work and school in Wan Chai, from their home in Tai Wai.
“Last week was very inconvenient for us to commute, especially because we weren’t sure when bus routes would be changed due to the roadblocks,” Chan said.
He said the transport disruption of the past two weeks had thrown the school journey into disarray, because it was difficult to predict what could happen on the road or at MTR stations.