High-speed rail tickets to be available 3 days before reopening of Hong Kong’s border with mainland China: MTR Corp
- MTR Corp begins preparations for cross-border travel at two checkpoint stations and high-speed rail terminus in West Kowloon
- Resumption of services from Lo Wu and Lok Ma Chau will not clash with commuters during the morning rush hour, MTR Corp’s head of cross-boundary operations says
The city’s rail operator on Friday began preparing for the border reboot at two checkpoint stations and the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link terminus in West Kowloon.
“We are now planning to start selling tickets three days before [the high-speed rail] resumes operations, after the government announces customs clearance arrangements,” Cheung Chi-keung, MTR Corp’s head of cross-boundary operations, told a radio programme. “But this will depend on when the government announces the [border] reopening.”
Cheung said the rail operator would gradually restart the original schedule to the mainland on a trial basis without passengers on January 3.
“It is to test the system and to let our captains familiarise themselves with the operations,” he said.
The MTR Corp would later reveal which destinations the high-speed rail would travel to, Cheung added. Tickets will be available for purchase online and at stations three days before the reopening date.
The Post earlier learned that Hong Kong was set to reopen its border with the mainland on January 10 at the earliest, with those with business and family needs to be given priority.
There will be no quota for those crossing Hong Kong’s land border into Shenzhen, according to sources, but all inbound travellers to the city from the mainland will be required to present a negative Covid-19 result from a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test carried out within 48 hours before arrival.
A measure on the mainland requiring arrivals to quarantine will be dropped starting January 8, according to an announcement by the National Health Commission earlier this week.
Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu earlier said that he aimed to resume customs clearance with the mainland in an orderly and comprehensive manner before January 15.
The resumption of services on the East Rail line from Lo Wu and Lok Ma Chau would not clash with commuters during the morning rush hours, the MTR Corp’s Cheung said.
Hong Kong-mainland China border ‘to reopen earliest January 10’
He added that the railway operator would closely monitor passenger flow after the reopening and adjust train frequencies when necessary.
Since the border closure, the MTR Corp has reduced the number of carriages for the East Rail line trains from 12 to nine compartments. The route was also extended southwards in May to connect to the Island line at Admiralty station.
Cheung said the reduction of carriages would not affect passenger capacity, adding that the extension of the East Rail line could help divert traffic.
The MTR Corp would also carry out deep cleaning for the high-speed rail station before it resumed operations, he added.
Currently, trains on the East Rail line run every two minutes during peak hours, but the operator can adjust the number depending on how busy the route gets.
In light of the mainland’s imminent reopening, lawmaker Scott Leung Man-kwong, of Kowloon West New Dynamic, said he had received significantly fewer inquiries from residents about arrangements to travel across the border.
“On the contrary, many people have come to ask about getting a home return permit, living on the mainland or booking a hotel there,” he said.
“The government has to give us clearer details [about the reopening] as soon as possible. Otherwise, I’m worried about creating confusion.”
