Hong Kong’s high-speed rail link will resume taking passengers over the border with mainland China on Sunday, a week after the two sides resumed quarantine-free travel, the government announced on Wednesday. Travellers can use new stops at Dongguan, Dongguan South and Guangzhou East, according to the MTR Corporation, which did not reveal details about tickets. The 26km-long (16 miles) city section of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link was in service for about 16 months before it closed in January 2020 because of the Covid-19 pandemic. The trains ran from the West Kowloon terminus through to Shenzhen and south Guangzhou. The terminus will be the latest border control point to reopen after seven others resumed operations after the return of quarantine-free travel between Hong Kong and the mainland on January 8. The mainland also started issuing visas to international travellers for quarantine-free visits for the first time in three years on the same day. The government said other services such as long-haul routes would resume at a later stage. Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu on Wednesday said he had instructed a team to maintain communication and coordination with mainland authorities and railway operators. “I am grateful to the central government for its support to Hong Kong, and the Guangdong and Shenzhen municipal governments for their ongoing coordination,” he said on Facebook. “My team and I will continue to work hard and closely with relevant mainland authorities to achieve a full resumption of traveller clearance.” Reunions for love birds, early birds as Hong Kong-mainland border reopens Travellers crossing the border through the West Kowloon terminus are not subject to a daily quota. As long as they can buy a ticket, they are free to travel. Authorities at present allow a total of 50,000 people a day to travel in either direction at the land crossings at Shenzhen Bay, Man Kam To and Lok Ma Chau rail station. But travellers must obtain a negative result from a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test 48 hours before crossing. The West Kowloon terminus will operate between 6.30am and 11.30pm every day. Police said they had carried out a joint drill with the MTR Corp and government departments such as immigration and customs at the West Kowloon station involving more than 200 people. “The force is ready to deploy manpower when necessary to deal with relevant arrangements, including implementing crowd and traffic management, handling emergencies and passenger inquiries,” it said on Facebook. The government added the MTR Corp had on Sunday started trial runs for the trains with its counterparts on the mainland, the China State Railway Group and China Railway Guangzhou Group, to familiarise train captains and staff with cross-boundary operations.