Hong Kong transport chief ‘confident’ some border checkpoints will extend operating hours over Lunar New Year holiday
- Transport minister Lam Sai-hung optimistic about talks with mainland China over increasing opening hours for checkpoints to ease travel flow during holiday
- Measure part of efforts to prevent a repeat of chaos that left thousands of mainland tourists stranded for hours after New Year’s Eve fireworks
Secretary for Transport and Logistics Lam Sai-hung on Saturday said crossings with rail links would be targeted to boost passenger flow, with his update following a report by the Post a day earlier which suggested the Shenzhen Bay control point would run round-the-clock next month during the holiday period.
“The move would be to extend hours of checkpoints with railway services, which have a higher capacity ... We will also look into whether operating hours of some land crossings could be extended to facilitate special arrangements during festivals,” he said on a radio show.
Asked whether discussions with mainland authorities would be wrapped up by Lunar New Year, which runs from February 10 to 13 in Hong Kong, Lam said: “We hope so and we are also confident.”
The Lunar New Year holiday is celebrated between February 10 and 17 on the mainland.
The measures are part of government efforts to prevent a repeat of the chaos that left thousands of mainland tourists stranded for hours as they tried to leave the city after watching the New Year’s Eve fireworks.
Lam said the city government would announce any changes once a plan was confirmed.
A source earlier said the Shenzhen Bay control point, which currently operates between 6.30am and midnight, would be open 24 hours between February 9 and 13.